Egypt's president says development of new North Coast Road not completed, warns of skeptics

CAIRO – 1 July 2022: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said developmed work of the North Coast Road, which was subject for complaints by citizens over the past days, has not yet been completed.

Inspecting roads in Greater Cairo, the president said the work on the North Coast Road will be completed by the end of July or by mid-August.

He noted that technical work will be completed and traffic instructions will be added to the road during this period.

Also, police personnel will be available to regulate the road, Sisi said, noting that the he personally follows up on the comments of citizens on the road.

“Is it logical to compare a road that was only two or three lanes with a road that [was expanded to] become six or seven lanes,” El-Sisi said.

The president warned of skeptics regarding the utility of the road, saying people should wait until the road is fully developed and explained to them.

“There are people that keep on doubting the achievements that happen and offend them,” Sisi said.

Over the past week, cars and trucks started using the International Coastal Road, known as Alamein-Dabaa or North Coast Road after it was expanded to raise its efficiency over the past months.

The road serves dozens of villages and major tourist resorts on the northwestern coast and has been developed based on directives by President Sisi last year to allow smooth traffic flow and accommodate traffic densities.

The road was implemented in record time with a total length of 55 km, from km 101 to km 156 mark, to include seven traffic lanes in each direction on the main road instead of four, Matrouh Governor Khaled Shoaib told media.

Also, nine roundabout bridges have been constructed to facilitate the movement of cars without resorting to direct intersections.

Over the past week, people on social media have complained about the road, saying that they find it complicated and dangerous in some areas especially on the roundabouts.

The International Coastal Road links many governorates, including Alexandria and the North Coast, which are visited by millions of Egyptian people annually.