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Construction of bridge between Egypt, Saudi Arabia to start next week
By Agencies First Published: May 7, 2007
HEAD: The construction of a bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia will start next week, reported the State Information Service. The 50 km bridge will cost $3 billion.
The construction work is expected to take up to three years to be completed.
A Saudi source said King Abdullah Bin Abdel Aziz is expected to lay down the foundation stone of the project next week.
The bridge will link Ras Hamid in Tabuk area in Saudi Arabia with Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh City and Tiran Island, the reports noted.
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this was old project , they made deals on doing it since 1990 i guess , ithink makes u get the saudi land in 25 minutes or so ,
Posts: 384 | From: cairo | Registered: Mar 2007
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Mubarak denies plans for Saudi-Egypt causeway
Egypt on Sunday denied there were any plans to build a causeway linking Saudi Arabia to Sharm el-Sheikh, saying such a project would be bad for tourism in the popular the Red Sea resort.
On May 3, the Saudi English-language daily Arab News reported that the construction of a three-billion-dollar causeway linking the Saudi region of Tabuk to Egypt would begin in 10 days.
But Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak denied the existence of such a plan, telling the state-owned Al-Messa that a causeway at the entrance of Sharm el-Sheikh would harm tourism and would also be a security threat.
"A causeway piercing through Sharm el-Sheikh would cause damage to a number of hotels and tourism establisments," Mubarak told the daily.
It "would harm the calm nature (of the place) and its security which would force tourists to go elsewhere, and this is something I will never accept."
Arab News said the 50-kilometre (31-mile) causeway would link Ras Humaid in the northern Saudi region of Tabuk to Sharm el-Sheikh, the popular diving resort which attracts millions of tourists every year.
The paper said Saudi King Abdullah would lay the foundation stone of the causeway "which will link the continents of Asia and Africa."
It said interest in the project was revived after an Egyptian ferry sailing from Saudi Arabia to Egypt sank in the Red Sea in February 2006 with the loss of about 1,000 lives.
The project, which would create a new route for trade, tourists and pilgrims, has been on the drawing board for the past 20 years.
"The idea was initiated by the late King Fahd but it was later dropped by the Saudis," Mubarak said, adding that he rejects the idea "in principle."
Some 50,000 to 70,000 Egyptians go on the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and an estimated 1.2 million Egyptians work in Saudi Arabia or in other Gulf states, mainly in construction.
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from the geological point of view, this could not be possible, the red sea is what we call it proto-ocean, it means an ocean under construction, this involving plate tectonics movements, so the red sea get wider 3cm every year and might get more with any earth movements. that,s why it is too deep as well as AQABA gulf, some area can reach 4000 ft water depth.
Posts: 125 | From: Egypt | Registered: Aug 2006
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Good point Mer, I was in Sharm during an earth quake so any bridge would need very special construction. Don't think it will ever happen though because of the security issue. Tiran Island security is so tight and I understand the bridge would have to go onto the Island.
Posts: 3809 | From: Paradise | Registered: Mar 2003
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Well I guess everything will stay the same and most of travellers incl. the pilgrims have to go back and fourth with ferries.
Since I am assuming that Saudia Arabia would have taken over all the costs for this project - which is an estimated 3 Billion US-Dollars!!!! - I am astonished that Egypt decided against it.
I also assume that Saudi Arabia would have brought in the best engineers and architects to make this bridge safe and stable.
Although I agree on the safety issue part I believe that road would have had also numorous positives effects on Egypt (incl. possible even more Saudi tourists).
Well, project is off the table again....
Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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Egypt Favors Saudi Causeway in Another Spot
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
JEDDAH, 22 May 2007 — Egyptian Tourism Minister Muhamed Zoheir Garana said in comments published yesterday that his country was not against building the Saudi-Egyptian causeway over the Red Sea. “We have not rejected the projected totally,” he said.
However, the minister pointed out that the $3 billion project that would link the Asian and African continents required detailed studies. Garana also said that the causeway would have positive results in many areas.
The minister, nevertheless, objected to building the causeway near the tourist resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, which attracts a large number of foreign tourists every year.
“Linking the two countries is possible in an area other than Sharm El-Sheikh,” he said.
Local Arabic media have reported earlier that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah would lay the foundation stone for the causeway during his recent visit to the northern regions. The reports said the causeway would link Ras Humaid in Tabuk with Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.
A consortium of Saudi and international companies including Saudi Binladin Group, Saudi Oger, Al-Khorafi of Kuwait and Arab Contractors of Egypt has already been formed to carry out the project within the next three years.
The Egyptian minister’s statement while talking to reporters in Riyadh on Sunday gives new hope about the project. “The causeway has been the dream of most Egyptians since it was first proposed about 10 years ago,” said Ali Masoud, an Egyptian journalist working in the Kingdom.
He said the causeway would not only facilitate transport between the two countries but would “have a great socio-economic and political impact on the region.”
“Many Saudi businessmen will support the project as it will facilitate transportation of goods, especially vegetables, between the two countries,” Masoud said. He said the project would also strengthen relations between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
“The causeway will benefit many countries in the Gulf and Africa and will bring about a dramatic change in transportation between the two continents,” he said.
quote:Originally posted by Mer: from the geological point of view, this could not be possible, the red sea is what we call it proto-ocean, it means an ocean under construction, this involving plate tectonics movements, so the red sea get wider 3cm every year and might get more with any earth movements. that,s why it is too deep as well as AQABA gulf, some area can reach 4000 ft water depth.
you are right , but building of that bridge be possible if we enlarged it 3 cm ever y year
Posts: 367 | From: cairo , egypt | Registered: Aug 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Tigerlily: Mubarak denies plans for Saudi-Egypt causeway
Egypt on Sunday denied there were any plans to build a causeway linking Saudi Arabia to Sharm el-Sheikh, saying such a project would be bad for tourism in the popular the Red Sea resort.
On May 3, the Saudi English-language daily Arab News reported that the construction of a three-billion-dollar causeway linking the Saudi region of Tabuk to Egypt would begin in 10 days.
But Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak denied the existence of such a plan, telling the state-owned Al-Messa that a causeway at the entrance of Sharm el-Sheikh would harm tourism and would also be a security threat.
"A causeway piercing through Sharm el-Sheikh would cause damage to a number of hotels and tourism establisments," Mubarak told the daily.
It "would harm the calm nature (of the place) and its security which would force tourists to go elsewhere, and this is something I will never accept."
Arab News said the 50-kilometre (31-mile) causeway would link Ras Humaid in the northern Saudi region of Tabuk to Sharm el-Sheikh, the popular diving resort which attracts millions of tourists every year.
The paper said Saudi King Abdullah would lay the foundation stone of the causeway "which will link the continents of Asia and Africa."
It said interest in the project was revived after an Egyptian ferry sailing from Saudi Arabia to Egypt sank in the Red Sea in February 2006 with the loss of about 1,000 lives.
The project, which would create a new route for trade, tourists and pilgrims, has been on the drawing board for the past 20 years.
"The idea was initiated by the late King Fahd but it was later dropped by the Saudis," Mubarak said, adding that he rejects the idea "in principle."
Some 50,000 to 70,000 Egyptians go on the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and an estimated 1.2 million Egyptians work in Saudi Arabia or in other Gulf states, mainly in construction.
After I read your post I start searching to know main reasons stoped bridge project , found many advantages for this project are:- 1- activate investment of saudian investors in egypt where low cost and will trained labors ,also decrease the unempolyment problem . 2- many billion of dollars the incom enter the egyptian treasury every year , where bridge become a short , cheap and safe link between north of africa and khaleej countries . 3- the price cost of pilgaram become cheap and safe than transportation via ferry. note about 70000 pilgrams go to mecca every year , and 1 million egyptian labor work in gulf countries. I think (I wanna say sure) the reason lead Mubark to deny this project are political reasons may prressuer from USA and Israel governments , or there is a misunderstanding between cairo and Riad Nowdays. Fear from terror attacks is not enough reason to deny such succesful project ,at least not let fear controll our life.
Posts: 367 | From: cairo , egypt | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mer: from the geological point of view, this could not be possible, the red sea is what we call it proto-ocean, it means an ocean under construction, this involving plate tectonics movements, so the red sea get wider 3cm every year and might get more with any earth movements. that,s why it is too deep as well as AQABA gulf, some area can reach 4000 ft water depth. [/QUOTE
this idea start from 1974 , and also studies . decided to working in bridge project at 1999 , i think all geological problem studied and taken in account , and also solved . do you think in a huge project like can researcher neglect a fatal factor like this one , Mer , even wind direction and speed are studied ,
Posts: 367 | From: cairo , egypt | Registered: Aug 2001
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