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The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) has awarded a contract for the eastern section of the Thumamah Road development project in Riyadh.

Yuksel Saudi, the local subsidiary of Turkish construction firm Yuksel Holding, won the contract.

The mobilisation works are expected to begin by mid-July and the project is expected to be completed by 2028.

The project covers about 8 kilometres (km) and includes three bridges and three tunnels. It is designed to handle up to 200,000 vehicles a day.

Lebanon-headquartered engineering firm Sets International is the project consultant.

The RCRC is investing in upgrading the road networks in the capital. Earlier in July, it awarded another contract to local firm Sapac for the Jeddah Road development project.

Covering 29km, the scheme includes 14 bridges and five lanes.

Designed to handle up to 353,000 vehicles a day, the road is expected to be completed by 2028, with mobilisation works already under way.

The projects form part of the third package of the RCRC’s Riyadh Main and Ring Road Axes Development Programme, which was announced in January.

The other schemes include:

• Taif Road development project: The project stretches 15km and includes four bridges, each with four lanes. It also features two tunnels. It will have a capacity of up to 200,000 vehicles a day and will enhance connectivity between Riyadh’s southern and western districts and the city centre.
• Thumamah Road development project: The eastern section of the project will cover 8km and include three bridges and three tunnels, linking the northern and eastern parts of Riyadh. The project will have a daily capacity of up to 200,000 vehicles.
• King Abdulaziz Road development project: The northern section of the project stretches 4.7km and will include four bridges, four lanes and one tunnel, with a capacity of up to 450,000 vehicles a day.
• Othman Bin Affan Road development project: The northern section will cover 4.3km and include seven bridges and other related upgrades to enhance traffic flow in northern Riyadh. The project will have a daily capacity of up to 500,000 vehicles.
• Second phase of engineering enhancements for congested areas: This project targets eight locations in the city’s road network, where advanced engineering solutions will be applied to reduce congestion and improve intersection performance, increasing traffic capacity by 40%-60%.

The contract for the Thumamah Road development project is the latest of several high-profile deals awarded by the RCRC recently. In May, it awarded an estimated SR5bn ($1.3bn) contract to construct the Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah Road project in Riyadh.

That contract went to a joint venture of Riyadh-based Al-Rashid Trading & Contracting Company and Turkiye’s IC Ictas.

Stretching 12km, the project runs from Khurais Road to Al-Thumama Road and is a key component of the Second Eastern Ring Road scheme.

Works include five interchanges: Prince Bandar, King Abdullah, Imam Abdullah, Dammam Road and Al-Thumama.

In 2021, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud said the population of Riyadh would double to 15-20 million people by 2030. 

He directed government entities to work closely with the RCRC to prepare the city’s development strategy.

As well as several road development projects in the capital, the RCRC’s major projects include Riyadh Metro, Riyadh Art, Sports Boulevard, King Salman International Park and Green Riyadh.