An Important News Egypt

‘Not fully completed’: Complex Sahel Road sparks controversy among vacationers in Egypt

The newly developed Sahel Road and its recently constructed multi-lane roundabouts and service roads have been the subject of much attention on social media lately for its intricacy, as millions of Egyptians prepare to head to the North Coast for their summer vacations.

“The road has not been fully completed,” President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Friday, adding that this includes “technical works that provide necessary traffic services and instructions to regulate the movement of vehicles.”

He also stressed that he personally “follows up on the opinions and notes of citizens on the construction work along the Sahel Road,” emphasising the importance of avoiding the “deliberate scepticism” practiced by some parties that always seek to distort huge development efforts.

Development of the Sahel Road is expected to conclude by 30 July or mid-August at the latest, the president added.

The president’s remarks on the Sahel Road — the coastal road connecting Alexandria to Marsa Matrouh — came in response to widespread controversy on the complexity of the road and a spike in fears pertaining to potential road accidents on a route already infamous for several instances of loss of life.

Several videos have surfaced online this month showing vehicles driving in the opposite direction on the new roundabouts that were constructed on the newly developed 55-km-segment of the 780-km-long international coastal road — more specifically, from the 101st km to the 156th km.

El-Sisi’s remarks also came days after Minister of Transportation Kamel El-Wazir’s announcement of dispatching a committee upon the president’s directives to immediately deal with any problems pertaining to the road as they arise.

Thousands of Egyptians, including vacationers, rely every day on the International Coastal Road — which connects six governorates along the Mediterranean coast — in general and the Sahel Road in particular — which links dozens of the North Coast’s gated communities.

Renovations on the Alexandria-Matrouh Road began around the end of summer 2021, with the plan being to expand it to six lanes in each direction instead of four and establishing nine roundabouts.

This is in addition to a two-way four-lane service road in each direction, with no barriers separating the west-bound lanes from the east-bound ones.

‘Poor’ design, technical hurdles

People on social media have complained about the “poor” design of the newly developed road and numerous technical issues facing drivers that can increase the probability of road crashes.

“There should not be a two-way service road beside a highway,” Abu Karma — a social media user who is an alleged architect — says. “This is why traffic has been a mess on the road and why trucks have been driving in the wrong direction,” he added.

Users have also complained that the roundabouts confuse drivers and send them on multiple routes that put them in the way of other vehicles.

“You will find vehicles at your right trying to take the road on the left and vice versa, and you will find all vehicles intersecting because taking the wrong exit is painful,” a user said.