MAKKAH – The mayoralty, Makkah Development Authority and the Transport Ministry have refused to take responsibility for the failure to complete the Sharaie flyover and they blame each other for the project's disruption. The bridge was handed over to the municipality two years ago. "We were extremely happy when they started the project and now they have stopped work without giving any reason and leaving residents in disarray," said Ali Al-Saihani, a resident, while speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette. "The bridge's service roads are incomplete," he added. A temporary crossroad under the bridge has been witnessing heavy traffic in the morning and evening and other peak hours, Al-Saihani said. Moreover, the traffic police have closed the road below the bridge putting concrete blocks due to a large number of users. The Transport Ministry has put the blame on the mayoralty for the incompletion of work. "We handed over the bridge to the mayoralty two years ago and we don't know until this moment who is responsible for completing the work," said an official at the ministry's office in Makkah. Okaz/Saudi Gazette contacted Emad Al-Saadi, acting spokesman for the mayoralty, to know when the bridge would be completed. He said the mayoralty has handed over the project to the Makkah Development Authority but Jalal Al-Kaaki, spokesman for the authority, denied that statement. "Projects being supervised by the authority end at the fourth ring road," Al-Kaaki said without elaborating. When contacted again for clarification, Al-Saadi preferred not to make any comment. The bridge is significant as it is the only gateway to Sharaie from the eastern side of the city. Meanwhile, the Nawariya bridge, which is cutting across the district dividing it from north to south, continued to create problems for the residents as they have to travel four kilometers to reach the other side. Col. Fouzi Al-Ansari, spokesman for the Traffic Department in Makkah, downplayed the citizens' concerns, saying when the project is completed their problems will be solved. "The traffic committee is studying prospects of providing exits from the bridge for people to cross to the other side easily," he told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. Fahd Al-Hazmi said he was finding difficulty to take his children from the western part of Nawariya to their school on the eastern side after the construction of the bridge, which has bisected the district into east and west, making mobility cumbersome and time-consuming. "I leave home with my children quiet early, still we reach school very late," he added. He urged the authorities to find a quick solution to the problem. Hassan Al-Qurashi said the construction of the bridge without exits has cut off people of the district, affecting their social relations. "We call upon the Traffic Department and Makkah Municipality to look into the issue immediately to find a viable solution," he told Okaz/Saudi Gazette.
