Hada and Al-Shifa, most prominent tourist attractions in Taif, are racing against time in the ongoing modernization process. The beautiful city is fast getting a facelift as tourist and entertainment villages are coming up to attract visitors. The Ministry of Transportation has also geared up to finish the two vital highway projects in the area by year-end. The 12-km highway costing about SR2 billion is 65 percent complete. The scope of work features the last stage of the double lane roads in each direction, in addition to concrete blocs on both sides of the road and in the middle. A number of bridges, support walls, protection structures, rainwater drainage canals and traffic safety devices will be installed, Al-Watan reported. In Al-Shifa area, the second phase of the SR80 million Oqbat Al-Mohammadiyah road which links Al-Shifa to Taif through Makkah/Jeddah Road is also nearing completion. This project will connect the most prominent tourist locations in Taif to Makkah and Jeddah. Abdullah Al-Jomai'ah, businessman and chairman of Al-Jomai'ah Holding Group, said the area's potential constitutes fertile ground for investments. He said several big investors have been attracted to the area to build several tourist spots, entertainment parks and hotels. Khalil Abdulrahman Bahader, businessman and tourist investor, said Al-Hada and Al-Shifa areas have all the necessary elements to attract investors due to their geographical location. In addition to rising 1,700 meters above the sea level, these areas have the advantage of proximity to holy sites and the King Abdullah Economic City in Rabegh. A project stretching more than 31 km will connect Al-Hada and Al-Shifa. The project features construction of a number of tourist villages. Foreign investments have been allowed in the area. Engineer Mohammad Bin Abdulrahman Al-Mukhrej, head of the Municipality of Taif Governorate, hoped Al-Hada and Al-Shifa modernization project will attract local and foreign investments and will achieve global and sustainable development in the area. Partnership between public and the private sectors in the implementation of the project will be enhanced, he said. Wildlife tourism will also be another area of attraction. King Abdullah tunnel, longest in the Kingdom, is also coming up. It will connect Makkah and Taif. The project's study will be submitted to the Ministry of Commerce and subsequently to the King for endorsement. Ali Bin Haif Al-Qahtani, chairman of the Board of Taif Tourist Investment Company, described the Makkah-Taif project as strategic and lucrative with potentially high economic returns. The project consists of an underground tunnel connecting Taif and Makkah and will cut the time needed to commute between the two cities to 20 minutes. According to the project study, the three-year project is to cost SR2 billion. The concept of the tunnel revolves around tourists and religious importance of Taif and Makkah, Engineer Thamer Al-Kuthairi, the project's consulting engineer, said. The tunnel will be in the form of two tubes each containing three lanes. It shall be 11-km long with a diameter of 13.5 meters and a height of 8.7 meters across two lanes. Each lane will be 13.5 meters wide. The two lanes will be connected with emergency tunnels 300 meters apart. Al-Kuthairi explained that the tunnel will be designed to withstand a considerable weight of soil and rocks. Necessary steps will be taken for ventilation, lighting, emergency exits in addition to drainage of flood and rainwater. The landscaping will consist of three illuminated waterfalls. __
