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Al-Ahram Weekly 26 Aug. - 1 Sep. 1999 Issue No. 444 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 26 Aug. - 1 Sep. 1999 Issue No. 444
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Focus Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters
Cairo's traffic problems did not disappear overnight. But the 6 October extension will make things easier, the bridge's builders insisted following a trial-run that had motorists disappointed
Bridging the bridge's gaps
By Tarek Atia
Many drivers were pleasantly surprised to find the brand new bridge they had been hearing so much about actually open last week. The ninth phase of the 6th of October Bridge was supposed to solve the city's traffic problems forever.
When motorists drove up onto the bridge, however, their joy did not last too long, for up on top, the traffic seemed nearly as bad, if not worse, than before. "Is there no hope?" drivers were asking each other. "If we spend all this money building a bridge and still can't get rid of the problem, what solution can there be?"
Newspapers had a field day expressing much the same sentiment. Why hadn't the latest extension of the 6th of October, which cost some LE300 million and took three years to build, paved the way for smooth sailing across the city?
Officials of the Cairo Governorate, as well as the Arab Contractors, the construction company that built the bridge, were quick to defend the massive project, the last stage in a 12-kilometre city-long bridge that had taken 30 years to build.
Excuses were proffered for the jams during the bridge's week-long trial period. Curiosity was the reason most often cited. "People were just excited about the new bridge and were anxious to give it a try. That's what led to the traffic jams," said Maj. Gen. Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, manager of the Roads and Transportation Administration of the Cairo Governorate.
Urban planner Zaki Hawass agrees that at least half the people using the bridge were, like him, just curious. Still, he thinks the width of the bridge was determined on the basis of old figures, and that there is at least double the number of cars on the roads now. "Things have to be built for the future, not just the present," said Hawass, who is constantly urging the governorate to take more advice from the Gamayiet Al-Mohandisseen Al-Masriyeen (Egyptian Engineers Society), of which he is a member, when it comes to planning major projects.
Immediately following the trial period, high-level meetings were held between top engineers at the company and government officials, during which solutions were put forward.
The trial period made it clear that a better redistribution of the traffic flow -- the bridge's main purpose -- was necessary. Now that there was a choice to go either over the bridge or under it, motorists would have to decide which was a better option. Not everyone should go up top, and it would take time before people adjusted to the new choices.
"Had you driven on the roads under the bridge, you would have felt like it was the eid (feast)," when the streets are empty, said Ashraf Rizq, an engineer working on the bridge.
The trial run revealed that it would be fruitful to help things along by placing traffic signals at two strategic locations: the entrances onto the bridge at Ramses Square and Ghamra. The signals are not stop lights, just clear indicators of how crowded the bridge is at any given time.
Red means the bridge is packed and that one is better off avoiding it altogether. Yellow means there is some traffic on the bridge, and that drivers should proceed at their own risk. Green means traffic is flowing smoothly.
The lights would change according to constant updates by the motorcycle police monitoring the bridge and cameras placed on one of the highest buildings in Ramses Square, linked to a "control room" at the Arab Contractor's office downtown.
Although fully aware that the bridge would not be as much of a saviour as the pre-publicity had claimed, the crew at the Arab Contractors were still a bit shocked by all the negative publicity during the bridge's trial run. "It was like bringing up a child, raising him right, studying with him, and then being told he had failed his thanawiyya amma [secondary school certificate]," said Rizq.
Company President Ismail Othman consoled the staff, telling them that "only fertile palm trees get rocks thrown at them". Ismail predicted that people "would be impressed later", helping boost the staff's morale after all the bad press.
The bridge's trial period also revealed how closely linked various government agencies must be in order to really solve the city's traffic problems. When Cairo Governor Abdel-Rehim Shehata appeared on the popular TV show Sabah El-Kheir ya Masr (Good Morning, Egypt) urging people whose cars have weak engines not to take the bridge, some people wondered whether the root of the problem actually lay in the poor condition of cars being allowed on the road in the first place.
Since the ramps onto the bridge are high and steep, many drivers giving the bridge a try could not quite make it to the top and stalled up above, causing huge jams. At one point, said Arab Contractors bridge division head Mohamed Abdel-Moneim, who monitored the trial run closely along with governorate officials, 14 cars stalled on the new extension. "A system whereby radio would broadcast regular traffic reports during rush hours would help," suggested Abdel-Moneim.
It was decided that every 200 metres, a short 2.5 metre-wide stand-by area would be allocated so that cars that had broken down could be fixed there. Since the original plan for the bridge had not taken this into consideration, extra lanes would have to be added to the bridge, either via steel structures on the sides connected to the body of the bridge, or built from the ground via foundation pillars. The governorate, along with the construction company, were still studying which solution would be preferable.
There would be more tow trucks to move broken down cars to the side of the bridge so that traffic would continue to flow. A decision was also made to forbid public transport vehicles -- buses, mini-buses and the like -- from taking the bridge. Only school and tour buses would be allowed up.
Abdel-Aziz, of the Cairo Governorate, pointed out that despite the delays during the trial period, "the bridge still proved to be a success since it cut the time of a trip from Heliopolis or Nasr City to Dokki from 50 to 35 minutes even during the most crowded rush hour."
Abdel-Aziz was careful to point out that the 6th of October was just one of several major bridge and tunnel projects nearing completion, and that people should not judge its efficiency until all the major projects in Cairo's current traffic overhaul are complete. Al-Azhar Tunnel, the 15th of May Bridge, Shamal Al-Gamaliya corridor, and the Siket Al-Wayly Bridge are all set to be completed within a year and a half. When they are, motorists will have a plethora of options to choose from.
With the new bridge now closed while final preparations are being made for its official inauguration by President Hosni Mubarak later this month or early September, many drivers will be planning their routes when the bridge opens for real this time.
(photo:Sherif Sonbol)
