The budget for projects completed and those currently underway over the past four years has reached approximately 4.5 billion riyals, and this budget reflects the wise leadership’s commitment to providing all services to citizens and residents by developing the infrastructure of the Eastern Province’s governorates, cities, and villages.
Various Projects
His Excellency the Secretary of the Eastern Province, Eng. Fahd Al-Jubeir, noted that the Eastern Province, along with all regions and cities of the Kingdom, receives continuous attention and support from our wise leadership in enhancing municipal services and advancing development projects to best serve citizens, as serving citizens is a top priority for the wise leadership. Therefore, its wise directives to expedite the completion of service projects for citizens and residents and to allocate budget funds to the various municipal projects for which they were earmarked have had a significant impact on the Eastern Province Municipality’s commitment and ongoing efforts to adopt mechanisms and develop proactive plans and studies to implement or complete its development projects.
Development and Rehabilitation
Al-Jubeir noted that the projects implemented over the past three years included: the development and rehabilitation of main streets and roads; the development and expansion of residential plans and neighborhoods; the construction of public squares and the improvement of bridge intersections; the construction of bridges and tunnels at intersections; as well as parks, pedestrian walkways, and plazas; the development of Half Moon Beach and waterfront areas; the construction of municipal buildings and facilities, cultural centers, and stormwater drainage stations; municipal plazas and walkways, road paving and lighting, central meat and vegetable markets, the completion of projects to improve and beautify city entrances, the implementation of traffic safety measures, the naming and numbering of streets, the development of urban plans, the backfilling and leveling of sites, and public markets, main roads, and public parks, as well as well projects and network extensions, waste disposal, and the development of streets and squares.
Strategic Programs and Plans
Al-Jubeir explained that the Eastern Province Municipality is working through its strategic programs and plans to develop the cities of the region in the areas of planning, urban development, and growth, including programs to develop undeveloped residential areas in the cities of Dammam, to alleviate congestion—whether population-related or traffic-related—while coordinating with other service providers to equip these areas with infrastructure prior to development. This is in addition to ongoing development projects, including the improvement of intersections, the construction of bridges and tunnels, and the development of waterfronts.
He noted that the Municipality has implemented road projects in the city of Dammam at a cost exceeding 560 million riyals, while the value of waterfront development projects exceeded 55 million riyals, explaining that the project to complete the development of the waterfront at Half Moon Beach, valued at more than 17 million riyals, has been completed.
He said that more than 516 million riyals had been allocated for bridge and tunnel projects, which included: the 837-meter-long King Abdullah Road Tunnel, the Caliph Uthman ibn Affan Road and Prince Mutaib Road tunnel, 826 meters long, and the Prince Mutaib Bridge project connecting to Prince Nayef Road. He noted that the cost of the stormwater drainage projects implemented exceeded 789 million riyals.
Road and Bridge Projects
He revealed that the value of road projects currently under construction amounts to 415 million riyals, including projects in Dammam, Al-Khobar, and Dhahran, as well as neighborhood development projects and residential development projects.
He noted that among the most important projects currently underway are the Caliph Ali bin Abi Talib Tunnel connecting to Prince Muhammad bin Fahd Road, the project to construct a bridge at the intersection of King Abdulaziz Road and 10th Street in Al-Khobar, the construction of a bridge at the intersection of Prince Nayef Street and 17th Street in Dammam, the construction of a bridge at the intersection of Prince Nayef Street and Caliph Ali bin Abi Talib Street, and the project at the intersection of King Abdulaziz Street and 28th Street in Dammam.
He added that the number of municipal parks and squares in the Eastern Province has reached 753, along with more than 100 playgrounds, while the total area of green spaces has exceeded 6 million square meters, The number of trees, shrubs, and palm trees has reached more than 396, while the total length of the main and secondary irrigation networks is nearly 8 million linear meters.
Public Facilities
In his statement, the Secretary of the Eastern Province noted that among the Secretariat’s development projects are numerous promenades and parks located in the heart of Dammam, which are large in size and feature tourist and recreational attractions, including water features (fountains), expansive green spaces, restaurants, amusement parks, walking trails, and playgrounds for children. These include King Abdullah Park on the Dammam waterfront, which is 6 km long; the Dammam Corniche, which is (10 km), Prince Faisal bin Fahd Park on the Al-Khobar waterfront, which is (5 km) long, Jabal Al-Muraikabat Park in Dammam, covering an area of (70,000 m²), ; Jabal Al-Dana Park in Dhahran, covering an area of (80,000 m²); Prince Saud bin Jalawi Park in Al-Khobar, covering an area of (81,000 m²); and Half Moon Beach, stretching (22 km).
