RIYADH — The Saudi Roads General Authority has announced the expansion of the asphalt surface cooling initiative in several locations within the Holy Sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah. This initiative has been implemented on an area covering 25,000 square meters next to Namira Mosque in Arafat. The initiative, which is being implemented, in partnership with several relevant entities, including the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the Pilgrim Experience Program, the Quality of Life Program, and the Holy Capital Municipality, aims to reduce temperatures in neighborhoods and residential areas, lower the energy used to cool buildings and mitigate the effects of climate change. This technology contributes to providing a more comfortable environment in waiting areas and locations where people gather, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The idea of this initiative, first implemented last year at the Holy Sites, stems from the fact that roads absorb heat during the day, with temperatures sometimes reaching 70 degrees Celsius. Roads then release this heat at night, causing a phenomenon known as the "Urban heat island effect," which leads to increased energy consumption and air pollution. The need to address this phenomenon has prompted the experiment with "cool pavements," made from locally produced materials capable of absorbing less solar radiation by reflecting it. This experiment results in a lower surface temperature than traditional pavements, making it suitable for roads around residential areas. The Roads General Authority is developing research and practical experiments as part of its role as a government supervisory and regulatory body for the road sector in the Kingdom. These experiments align with the sector's strategic vision, encouraging innovation. The road sector's strategy also aims to improve the quality of roads to achieve the sixth global ranking and reduce fatalities to fewer than five per 100,000 people by 2030. This strategy allows the road sector to continue its leading role in empowering many vital and promising sectors through the Kingdom's road network, which is the most interconnected globally, spanning over 73,000 kilometers.
