Egypt’s transport ministry is currently undertaking the expansion of the Ring Road around Greater Cairo, with costs totaled at EGP 7.3 bn, aiming to help in trimming down traffic jams on the metropolitan area’s most important freeway, Invest-Gate reports.

Stretching over 106 kilometers long from the Autostrad to Mariottia Corridor, construction is almost 30% complete on site. Work includes doubling the number of lanes from four to eight in each direction, while lanes will be widened to seven in the Autostrad/Mounib area, Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir affirmed during a recent tour to the Ring Road, emphasizing the commitment to timeframes and quality management.

The upgrade is aimed at catering to the rapid population growth by widening the Ring Road to accommodate larger traffic volumes and cut travel time, hence less energy consumption, El Wazir confirmed in an official statement.

Additionally, the funds will be geared toward the enhancement of road services so as commuters can cut down on the time spent driving across the capital. He revealed plans to operate the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system buses on the Ring Road to minimize traffic congestion. Delivering fast, comfortable, and cost-effective services, these electrical vehicles will have a larger capacity and will stop at fixed stations that will be identified along the highway in separate lanes, the minister underlined.

Coming after the execution of the Ring Road expansion works, this project will be supervised by the Ministry of Transport, in cooperation with Cairo, Giza, and Qaliubiya governorates. The former party is still in negotiations with the World Bank to provide soft loans in funding for implementation, he pointed out.

Last October, El Wazir had revealed that 4,500 out of the total 7,000 kilometers of the under-construction National Roads Project have been implemented so far since the program’s inception in 2014, which is being developed at a total cost of EGP 75 bn, as highlighted in a previous press release.