His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Province, inaugurated today, Sunday, a package of vital development projects in the transport sector, most notably the (Safwa/Rahima) road linking the Safwa center in Qatif Governorate and Ras Tanura Governorate, including a marine bridge that is considered one of the prominent engineering landmarks in the region, in the presence of His Excellency the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Engineer Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, and a number of leaders.
A qualitative leap in linking Safwa and Ras Tanura
The new project is a vital 15-kilometer artery, including a 3.2-kilometer double-track marine bridge, one of the longest marine bridges in Saudi Arabia. This project aims to significantly reduce travel time between Safwa and Ras Tanura, facilitating movement for citizens and residents and improving traffic flow in one of the most industrially and demographically active regions.
The strategic and economic importance of the project
These projects are of particular importance given the strategic geographic location of the Eastern Province, the Kingdom's industrial and energy capital. Ras Tanura Governorate is home to one of the world's most important oil export ports and massive refineries, making the improvement of the road network leading to it a critical necessity for serving the energy sector and supply chains. The sea bridge will provide an additional direct access point, enhancing the reliability of the flow of goods and services and connecting the region to highway networks such as the Dammam-Jubail road, thus positively impacting economic and logistical activity.
Development of intersections on the Dhahran-Buqayq-Abu Hadriyah road
Concurrently with the bridge's inauguration, His Royal Highness the Prince of the Eastern Province opened the multi-directional Dhahran-Abqaiq-Abu Hadriyah road intersection development project. The project included the construction of five additional bridges and the implementation of lighting and stormwater drainage systems. This development contributes to enhancing regional and international connectivity, as the works included ramps serving traffic to and from the Kingdom of Bahrain, in addition to a direct connection to King Abdulaziz Port and Aramco's Ajial City, thus improving traffic flow efficiency and achieving a high level of logistical integration.
Supporting leadership and the objectives of the National Transport Strategy
During the ceremony, Prince Saud bin Nayef expressed his gratitude to the wise leadership – may God support them – for their generous support of the region's projects, emphasizing that these achievements reflect the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, which aims to solidify the Kingdom's position as a global logistics hub connecting three continents. For his part, Engineer Saleh Al-Jasser explained that these projects were implemented according to the highest standards of the Saudi Road Code, taking into account all aspects of traffic safety and quality, to ensure a safe and efficient transportation experience for users.
