Second Phase of Jamrat Bridge to be ready for Hajj
The second phase of the SR4 billion high-tech Jamrat Bridge project will be completed on November 25, well before the start of this year’s Hajj, said Dr. Habeeb Zainul Abideen, Deputy Minister of municipal and rural affairs.
Speaking to Al-Madinah Arabic daily, Zainul Abideen said three one-way roads from the bridge would reduce congestion in the area and ensure a smooth flow of pilgrims when they leave Jamrat after performing the stoning ritual.
During last year’s Hajj, pilgrims used the high-tech structure in Mina for the first time. The first phase increased the bridge’s capacity to 250,000 pilgrims an hour. It also brought about a qualitative change in public safety measures and helped pilgrims perform the stoning ritual without any reported accidents.
Zainul Abideen said the second level of the bridge, which will be ready this year, would receive pilgrims coming from the Makkah side after performing Tawaf al-ifada — the obligatory circumambulation of the Kaaba in Hajj.
“The second level will have two entrances; the southern entrance is for pilgrims coming from Aziziya and the northern one for pilgrims coming from Adel, Shisha and the Pedestrian Road,” he added.
Zainul Abideen said the new system would ensure the smooth flow of pilgrims in Mina while coming to and from the Jamrat.
He said the three new one-way roads that will help transport 150,000 to 200,000 pilgrims per hour, which are linked to the second floor of the bridge, would reduce pressure on the ground floor and the first floor.