Sisi inaugurates 12 mega-projects in Ismailia, Sinai

CAIRO - 5 May 2019: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has arrived in Ismailia governorate on Sunday to inaugurate 12 development mega-projects in the Mediterranean governorate and Sinai.

The projects include Suez Canal Tunnels, Ismailia New City, a new drinking water station in New Ismailia, a new Corniche of Fisherman's Lake, tourist walkway on the same lake, new developed fish market, project of traffic axes, the floating Sarabium bridge in Ismailia, and bridge of Martyr Ahmed Omar Shabrwi in Suez.

Egyptian Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Radi said in a statement that the project of Suez Canal Tunnels is one of Egypt’s vital and ambitious projects.

On 5 March 2018, former Chairman of Armed Forces Engineering Authority Kamel al-Wazir said that Suez Canal tunnels shortened the transit time of the Canal to 20 minutes instead of waiting on the Canal’s ferries and el-Salam Bridge that could extend to 5 days.

The tunnels link new Suez Canal- east of Ismailia - with the west of the Mediterranean goevernorate. They are at the depth of 70 and 53 meters beneath the navigational course of the Canal.

The cost of the project is estimated LE 12 billion (US $699 million). They are built by 3,000 engineers, technicians and Egyptian workers in the period between July 2016 and 2019.