Priority for traffic?
A major Heliopolis traffic improvement project -- involving three new bridges and two new tunnels -- has just been completed. Gihan Shahine tracks its ups and downs
The tremendous network of bridges and flyovers that spans the whole of Cairo certainly looks impressive from the air. An actual trip on Cairo's streets, however, often tells a different story, one of traffic havoc, and rush hour gridlock that more often than not has no set hours. That paradox has constantly beguiled Cairo traffic planners as they try to devise new ways to improve the situation. No matter how many bridges and tunnels are built, however, heavy traffic always seems one step ahead.
The latest, and one of the most ambitious, of these projects is now up and running. Involving the construction of two tunnels and three flyovers in Heliopolis and Nasr City, the primary aim of the LE350 million project, which was inaugurated last Thursday, is to eliminate most of the intersections that cross the area's main arteries -- Salah Salem/ Orouba and Al-Thawra streets -- and thus significantly enhance the traffic flow there. The other part of the project -- involving the establishment of a direct route between the Autostrad and Cairo International Airport -- is also expected to relieve 15 per cent of Al-Orouba Street's traffic.
Fouad Awwad, who heads Cairo Governorate's Road Planning Authority, told Al-Ahram Weekly that Al-Orouba and Al- Thawra are of "paramount importance, since they carry all the traffic from the airport into the city". According to Awwad, the project will ensure that "visitors to the country -- including presidents, diplomats and tourists -- don't get trapped in traffic jams."
Regular commuters on these busy thoroughfares will be beneficiaries as well, of course, now that all the intersections on Al-Thawra Street -- which begins in Al- Korba and ends at the Cairo-Suez highway -- have been eliminated. At the intersection of Al-Thawra and Al-Orouba streets, commuters now descend into a 400-metre tunnel underneath Al-Orouba Street. At Al-Thawra's intersections with Al-Merghani and Al-Nozha streets, traffic flows beneath two new flyovers, each 1.3 kilometres long.
On Al-Orouba/Salah Salem Street, meanwhile, a 1.2 kilometre-long tunnel has eliminated intersections with both Al- Tayaran and Youssef Abbas streets, both of which lead in and out of Nasr City. Those coming from Al-Tayaran will be able to use the new tunnel to get onto Salah Salem, while those on Salah Salem will be able to exit from the tunnel onto Youssef Abbas.
Those heading to the airport from the Autostrad in Nasr City can also avoid Al- Orouba Street altogether now that a new 1.5 kilometre-long bridge connecting the Autostrad to Cairo International Airport is complete.
The project, according to Housing Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Suleiman -- who commissioned it -- is likely to relieve "35 per cent of East Cairo's traffic", thus saving up to "an estimated LE27 million annually in time lost as a result of, and petrol consumed by, traffic congestion".
President Mubarak inaugurated the project, dubbed "East Cairo Entrances Development Project", as part of the recent celebrations commemorating 6 October.
The three construction firms who worked on the project have also been celebrating. Arab Contractors, Magdi Allam and Mokhtar Ibrahim were all able to complete their portions of the overall scheme in record time. The fact that the whole thing was implemented in six months certainly upped these company's profiles in both official circles, and amongst the general public.
Salah El-Eraqi of Arab Contractors, which was in charge of the Al-Orouba Tunnel, told the Weekly on the eve of the inauguration that a "tremendous effort" had been exerted, and that "many challenges" had been dealt with. "Our main aim was to finish quickly, without blocking traffic on one of Cairo's main arteries," El-Eraqi said.
Meeting the deadlines required the efforts of 50 engineers and 2000 labourers working round the clock. "We had to do our work in two phases, which doubled the effort, so as not to block the street." El- Eraqi also said that the area's infrastructure was relocated in two, instead of the usual eight, months.
Gazing proudly at the finished tunnel, as workers planted patches of greenery and palm trees on the island in the center of the street, El-Eraqi predicted, "those commuting on Al-Orouba Street would be saving from 15 to 45 minutes in traffic time during rush hours."
Al-Thawra, Al-Nozha and Al-Merghani streets have also had makeovers, and now feature new lampposts, freshly painted curbs, and re-tiled sidewalks. Even the old Al-Merghani tramline is back, albeit as part of the bridge that now dominates the street's intersection with Al-Thawra. Parking lots have also been established underneath the flyovers on both Al-Nozha and Al-Merghani streets.
"We want people to be happy about the changes," said El-Eraqi. "And now we can at last go to sleep."
Not everyone, however, is as ecstatic about the new project. As construction progressed, several Al-Merghani Street residents submitted complaints to the authorities about the bridge, arguing that it would ruin what many consider one of Heliopolis' most beautiful boulevards. Businessman Kamaleddin Taher, who lives on the street, told the Weekly that he sent letters suggesting the whole problem could have been avoided by lengthening the new tunnel on Al-Thawra by a mere 100 metres. Officials, however, insisted the suggestion was not feasible since it involved relocating a massive telephone network located in the area, which would have cost a fortune.
Many residents said they don't understand why the project was launched in the first place. Jina Ezzeddin said that neither Al-Merghani Street, where she lives, nor Al-Thawra Street, "had traffic problems that deserved ruining the entire landscape by building flyovers".
"Al-Merghani has always been one of Heliopolis' most beautiful and serene streets," said Ezzeddin. "It's heartbreaking to see such a beautiful area turned into a concrete jungle."
Other residents are upset about the difficulties of parking and crossing the street itself. "Our life has been turned upside down for no clear reason," complained Ezzeddin. "Now I sometimes opt to use my car when I cross the street rather than risk the dangers of crossing by foot" what has become a very busy street. Ezzeddin said it was "ridiculous how pedestrians and residents are not accounted for in traffic planning".
Ezzeddin said the area's transformation had turned the leisurely strolls she used to enjoy with her friends into "a dangerous prospect". The changes have also been a bane in the existence of local fast food chains, which said they had experienced a serious drop in sales because parking in front of their shops has become impossible.
According to urban planner Abdallah Abdel-Aziz, flyovers "are an eyesore and a source of sound and air pollution". Abdel- Aziz agreed that, "human and aesthetic values are not taken into consideration when designing traffic projects." Al-Merghani Street residents, for instance, will now open their windows and walk out onto their balconies only to find a tramline and a cement flyover right in front of them -- instead of what used to be a pleasant patch of greenery."
Abdel-Aziz said that, "before launching these kinds of projects, the government should discuss [different options] with civil society and local inhabitants, who are entitled to have a say in matters affecting their daily lives."
Abdel-Aziz was not as harsh on the airport/Autostrad flyover and the Al-Orouba Tunnel, however, both of which he called "great achievements".
In general, urban planners have argued that most traffic projects only represent piece-meal solutions that, in the absence of long-term planning, end up streamlining traffic in one area and compounding it in another. As such, many argue that these kinds of schemes are a "waste of public funds". Some also argue that, in light of the country's current economic crisis, priority should have been given to sectors that may have been more in need.
Awwad, meanwhile, defended the project as being thoroughly well-planned and designed, with new U-turns, re-routing of major streets, and a widening of other side streets, helping to accommodate the expected increase in traffic flow in other areas.
Some urban planners don't see it that way. "Long-term plans should be carefully designed and priorities should be made accordingly," said urban planner Abu Zeid Rageh. Both Rageh and Abdel-Aziz suggested, for instance, that Ramsis Square, where traffic wreaks havoc in front of Cairo's oldest railway station, should have been given priority over Al-Thawra and Al-Merghani streets, which "never had any really serious traffic problems".
Rageh said, "those in charge of urban design do not have a clue about planning, and thus, decisions are usually taken haphazardly, with such massive projects used as official propaganda." According to Rageh, the government poured "LE1.3 billion into Al-Azhar Tunnel, which failed to achieve its prime objective of turning the district above it into a pedestrian area. Meanwhile, a great many people were burnt alive in a third class train for lack of public funds. What kind of planning is that?" Rageh asked.
