It is another mega construction project of Saudi Arabia: the “Moses Bridge” is intended to combine Africa and Asia via the Gulf of Akaba and lead directly to “The Line”, the 170-kilometer-long band city in the Saudi desert.
Intercontinental bridge planned
Saudi Arabia is driving the ambitious NEOM project with another spectacular construction project. The so-called “Moses Bridge” is said to combine Africa and Asia via the Gulf of Akaba and could be about to start building. In addition to the futuristic band city of “The Line”, which is becoming more and more a disaster due to delays in the construction and the resignation of the CEO, this continental connection is also part of the core projects.
The Egyptian Minister of Transport Kamel Al-Wazir recently announced that the planning phase for the MEGA project was completed. “We have now completed the planning for the bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia and are ready to implement them at any time-be it as a bridge or as a tunnel,” said Al-Wazir. The connection is intended to connect the Egyptian Sharm El Sheikh to the Saudi Arabian Ras Alsheikh Hamid and cross the Tiran road.
Four billion dollars for the construction
With estimated construction costs of around four billion dollars (around 3.5 billion euros), the project is fully financed by Saudi Arabia. How Business Insider reports, the building could become between 14 and 24 kilometers long. It would not be one of the longest bridges in the world, but it would still be an impressive engineering performance over one of the region’s most strategically important conferences. However, the idea of a connection via the Red Sea is not new.
As early as 1988, there were first plans for such a bridge, which, however, were put on hold due to political tensions and security concerns. The project was revived by King Salman in 2016. The Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi suggested naming the bridge after the monarch: “King Salman bin Abdulaziz Bridge”.
Symbolic name
However, the name “Moses Bridge” has prevailed in public – an allusion to the biblical history of the division of the Red Sea. The symbolic connection should not only promote trade and tourism in the region, but also create an alternative pilgrim route to Mecca. Experts expect over one million travelers a year who could use the bridge for this. Ras Alsheikh Hamid, the western end point of the bridge, is also located directly at the starting point of the futuristic band city “The Line”, the figurehead of the NEOM project.
Therefore, the Moses bridge is an important component for NEOM, which represents one of the most ambitious construction projects in the world with an estimated total cost of $ 500 billion. Through the bridge, tourists could get to The Line on the land path from Egypt without having to take the detour via Israel and Jordan.
Criticism of the construction project
The economic advantages of the Moses bridge would be considerable. According to calculations, tolls from tourists, pilgrims and freight traffic could be re -recorded within ten years. In addition, thousands of jobs would be created on both sides of the Red Sea. However, environmentalists express concerns about the effects on the sensitive ecosystem of the Red Sea. Tiran’s street houses valuable coral reefs and a diverse sea fauna, including endangered species. The planners at least emphasize that sustainability will have priority in the project.
Template uncertain
It remains to be seen whether the Moses bridge is actually realized as a bridge or as a tunnel. With the completion of the planning phase, however, an important milestone has been achieved. The building could soon become a reality and combine two continents. As you can see, however, the line can always be difficult for such large projects that delay the construction.
