The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) has awarded road infrastructure contracts worth SR13 billion ($3.46 billion) as part of the first phase of the Main Road and Ring Road Development Programme.

Announcing the launch of the first phase, the RCRC board of directors said it is aimed at enhancing Riyadh’s ring and main roads, while improving the city’s transportation network and strengthening connectivity across its various regions.

The four projects included in Phase One are:‏

•   Second Southern Ring Road, a 56-km-long stretch extending from the new Al Kharj Road in the east to Jeddah Road in the west. The project will feature four lanes for the main road in each direction, three service road lanes per direction, 10 main intersections, and 32 bridges.

•   Two parallel bridges alongside the existing Wadi Laban suspension bridge. The project also involves the development of a 4-km stretch of the Western Ring Road at its intersection with Jeddah Road, along with the construction of four additional bridges at the Western Ring Road and Jeddah Road junction.

•   The western section of Thumama Road Axis. It involves development of a 6-km-long stretch extending from King Khalid Road in the west to King Fahd Road in the east.

•   Extension of Taif Road from the Laban neighbourhood to Qiddiya, covering 16 km from the western end of Taif Road in Laban to the Qiddiya project.

According to RCRC, the first phase’s projects are expected to be completed within three to four years.

To ensure smooth traffic flow on roads affected by these projects, the RCRC has developed a traffic diversion management plan in collaboration with relevant city agencies and stakeholders, it stated.

Launched in 2019 by HRH Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and RCRC Chairman, the Ring Roads Axes Development Programme covers over 500 km of road enhancements in the city of Riyadh.