Since the current infrastructure development projects here and in Dammam began four years ago, businesses located in areas where the projects are taking place have been losing revenue. A local chamber of commerce official said local business establishments could be losing millions of riyals due to the closure of business operations, because of the construction of tunnels and overpasses and the renovation of roads. “It is not only business opportunities that are compromised; workers are also affected because of near-zero sales,” the chamber official said. The construction of the Al-Khobar tunnel along the King Abdullah Highway is now again creating apprehension and fear among owners of shops and establishments and tenants of high-rise building along the highway where the construction of a new tunnel and underpass started Wednesday. They said that they fear that they will face a slow-down in business as a result of the construction. Two blocks of the King Abdullah Highway have been closed to traffic as road engineers and workers set up barriers prior to road excavation. One computer shop owner whose establishment is located along the King Abdullah Highway, which links Dhahran to the city of Al-Khobar, said he would be losing business during the duration of the construction of the new SR192 million tunnel. “I will have to tell my employees to take an early vacation because what will they do if the shop is closed. My main worry is my clients who will be shifting to other suppliers,” he said. “Our business will suffer with no clients during the period of the construction of this tunnel and underpass,” said owners of car rental agencies located in the stretch of the highway where the tunnel infrastructure project is located. Clusters of car rental agencies, restaurants, and computer shops are located along the King Abdullah Highway. There are also hundreds of offices located in several high-rise buildings that will be affected by the construction of the Al- Khobar tunnel and underpass. Motorists and the general public will also continue to suffer from daily traffic jams as a result of massive infrastructure development projects within the Greater Dammam area, which includes the cities of Dammam, Al-Khobar, and Dhahran and the adjoining municipalities of Qatif and Sihat. Municipal officials in Dammam have been conveying their apologies to the public for the inconveniences caused by the construction of tunnels and bridges, and road renovation, saying such projects are part of the long-term infrastructure development program of the government. A study conducted by the department of city and regional planning of the college of environmental design at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals on the geographical information system (GIS) sustainability assessment of Dammam stated that “some aspects of sustainability are not addressed by the planning process and the plan document”. The study further stated that “the planning process and the plan document addressed economic sustainability issues more than the social and environmental issues”. There is now a raging public debate regarding the economic impact of the new tunnels and overpasses in relation to and in comparison with the social needs of the population and the environmental consequence of the infrastructure projects.
