1 - 7 November 2001
Issue No.558
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 1 - 7 November 2001 Issue No.558 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Tunnel opened
On Sunday, President Hosni Mubarak inaugurated the new Al-Azhar tunnel that has been three years in the making, Gihan Shahine reports
The 2.6-kilometre dual carriage way which links Opera Square to Salah Salem Street is now open after nearly a month of experimentation. Linking the Al-Azhar district with Opera Square, the tunnel is part of a comprehensive plan to transform Fatimid Cairo into an open-air museum. According to the plan, cars will be banished from the Al- Azhar area and the existing Al-Azhar fly-over will be dismantled.
The tunnel, built to accommodate 500 vehicles at any one time, is expected to streamline traffic in the area. The tunnel has reduced to five minutes the time taken to reach Salah Salem Street from Opera Square, a trip which previously took at least 15 minutes.
The broader traffic plan, which stemmed from a two-year study, also provides for widening streets, making some streets one way, constructing a multi-level car park and two tunnels for pedestrians, and altering bus routes.
The LE890 million tunnel boasts high-quality design, exacting safety standards, and the latest ventilation technology.
The official opening was part of celebrations marking the anniversary of the October 1973 war. Other celebrations included Mubarak opening expansions to a military hospital in Alexandria, a conference complex for the Al-Azhar Mosque in Nasr City and a power station at Uyun Moussa, on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal.
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