Makkah governor: Fourth Ring Road project 75% complete

 More than 75 percent of the Fourth Ring Road project in Makkah is complete, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said Wednesday during an inspection.
The project is being supervised by the region’s development authority and implemented by the Makkah Secretariat. It is an integral part of the four circular road systems to facilitate smooth traffic flow.
The prince said the Fourth Ring Road will ease traffic congestion and pedestrian traffic in Makkah and neighboring Hajj sites.
The SR9 billion ($2.4 billion) road will be more than 65 kilometers long and 100 meters wide.
It will extend from Sail Road to Awali, and from there to Batha Quraysh, Al-Akishiyya and Umm Al-Kattad through Al-Hada Road, Jeddah Expressway, Old Jeddah Road, Umm Al-Joud, and Al-Umrah on Madinah Road.
The road will consist of four traffic lanes in each direction of the dual carriageway. It is being integrated with the Makkah road network and bus and train services.

Jeddah Islamic Port finalizes Hajj plan
The Jeddah Islamic Port (JIP) has finalized its plan to provide integrated services to Hajj pilgrims, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The JIP has mobilized all human and material resources to facilitate arrival and departure procedures, and to provide the highest safety standards related to ships ferrying pilgrims to and from the port.
JIP Director General Abdullah bin Awwad Al-Zamai said the plan also entails the speedy handling of goods, especially food.
The plan includes providing terminal entry and exit points with notice boards, issuing boarding passes for departures, and passport-check counters for departing passengers, he added.
The JIP has installed cameras in passenger terminals that are supervised by security units, he said.
Agents of passenger ships have been instructed to communicate with JIP authorities in case there are passengers who need special transport means, Al-Zamai added.
The JIP has prepared qualified employees to supervise maintenance and operational work, and prepare marine multipurpose equipment.
Inspectors have been assigned to inspect ships carrying pilgrims round-the-clock to ensure they are complying with internationally recognized safety standards, he said.
Eighty-eight employees are distributed across three shifts, supported by three ambulances, eight firefighting vehicles, 73 security and safety patrols, and 81 firefighters to deal with different types of fires, Al-Zamai added.