Launch of the Fourth Package to Upgrade Ring Roads and Main Arterial Routes with Investments of SAR 9.8 Billion

Riyadh | BETH | B

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City announced the launch of the fourth package of the Riyadh Ring Roads and Main Arterial Roads Development Program, with investments totaling SAR 9.8 billion, aimed at upgrading four major roads with a combined length of 40 kilometers.

The program includes the construction of 14 major intersections, 33 bridges, 5 tunnels, and 6 pedestrian bridges, with a total traffic capacity exceeding 950,000 vehicles per day, enhancing the efficiency of the road network and strengthening connectivity across different parts of the capital.

The projects include:

• Development of the southern section of Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Road, spanning 12 kilometers, with a capacity of 350,000 vehicles per day.
• Development of the central section of Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Awwal Road, spanning 9 kilometers, with a capacity of 200,000 vehicles per day.
• Development of Prince Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Road, spanning 6 kilometers, with a capacity of 200,000 vehicles per day.
• Development of the western section of Najm Al-Din Al-Ayyubi Road, spanning 13 kilometers, with a capacity of 200,000 vehicles per day.

The project forms part of the ongoing program to develop Riyadh’s ring roads and major arterial network, with the goal of improving traffic flow, reducing daily travel times, and enhancing quality of life.

BETH Analysis

In traditional cities, roads are built to serve movement.

In global cities, roads are built to serve the future.

For this reason, a project worth SAR 9.8 billion cannot be viewed merely as a traffic expansion initiative or a solution to congestion. Rather, it is part of a broader process of reshaping a city that is preparing to multiply its economic and population scale over the coming years.

Riyadh is not only preparing to accommodate more vehicles; it is preparing to accommodate more residents, investments, companies, and major international events.

Notably, the figures do not refer to a single road or an isolated intersection, but to an interconnected network designed to improve mobility between the city’s districts and strategic corridors, one of the key pillars of competitiveness in modern cities.

In today’s economy, the strength of a city is not measured solely by the number of its towers, but by the speed at which people, goods, and services move within it.

With the continued development of the metro, road networks, New Murabba, and major economic and urban projects, Riyadh appears to be doing more than building roads.

It is redrawing its map for the next generation.

The question is no longer:

How is Riyadh addressing today’s traffic congestion?

But rather:

How is Riyadh preparing for the scale of the city it expects to become tomorrow?