JEDDAH — The Jeddah mayoralty is facing accusations of not completing some road projects inside districts and showing favoritism toward contractors. An informed source at the mayoralty blamed incomplete asphalting to payment of contractors' money without ensuring whether or not they have completed the project. A resident of Salehiyah neighborhood said some roads in the district were not asphalted. "After filing several complaints, the mayoralty started work to asphalt all the roads in the district." He added: "But the contractor did not asphalt 200 meters of road causing problems for motorists. There are at 10 buildings including homes along the non-asphalted area. "When we contacted the department of projects at the mayoralty, they said the funds allocated for the road project had exhausted," he explained. Adel Matar, a resident of Asala neighborhood, said he had placed four complaints on the mayoralty's website regarding an incomplete road project on the northern side of the neighborhood. But the mayoralty did not respond to the complaints. He said a huge swamp created in the area as a result of rainwater not only caused health problems but also trapped many vehicles. The mayoralty removed the water from the area only after a month. Matar said he had to fill the patches in front of his house at his own expense about two weeks ago as the non-asphalted road was causing trouble for him to enter and exit from home. "Some contractors offered to fill the patches and asphalt the road in front of houses demanding SR1,000 per meter," he pointed out. An official at the mayoralty told Makkah daily that the amount of asphalt to be put on every road would be determined by the department of roads at the organization. "There is no justification for contractors moving from one project to another without completing the previous work," the official said on condition of anonymity. "There is no mechanism to determine priorities to provide services to districts," he said while pointing to the common mistake of asphalting existing roads without combing or cleaning. Another official at the mayoralty blamed authorities for shifting asphalt quality check from the department of labs to the department of roads, adding that the former used to take samples of asphalt and concrete to the lab to make sure they comply with required standards. "The present mechanism is based on supplying low quality of asphalt to ensure more funds for projects," the official said, adding that the change took place about a year ago.
