Saudi Kingdom an infrastructure leader amid boom in construction sector 

(MENAFN - Arab News) Jeddah is now a city of flyovers and bridges. The first flyover was built in the 1970s-80s near the Khozam palace. It was a 5-kilometer overpass linking the old airport with the seaport. There has been no going back since then.

These overpasses ease congestion in this ever-expanding city. Yet the new flyovers show a difference in construction, with pedestrian and cyclist lanes. These lanes can be dangerous, indeed fatal. Pedestrians often cross over these flyovers from the middle of the road, a highly dangerous practice due to speeding cars.

Approximatey 613 billion worth of construction projects are expected to be completed in Saudi Arabia over the next five years, according to a report from Zawya commissioned by "The Big 5" Saudi 2013.

"International reports say the growth of the sector has doubled in 2011-2012 and the MENA region alone represented 50 per cent of that growth," said Dr. Hani Abu Rass, mayor of Jeddah.

He further said the country remains a leader in the construction sector thanks to the support of the Saudi government. The Jeddah Municipality is working on a number of infrastructure and construction projects and on making Jeddah a green city.

He also added that in the month of April, a 4-kilometer area from Nadi Farsan to the Hanani mosque at the new Corniche will be opened. The other development projects will be the protection of Jeddah's old buildings and heritage, the cleaning of Jeddah, the development of 22-million-meter area for the development of traffic and a public transportation project.

"I am also pleased to announce that Jeddah City has been registered by the UN as the first GCC city to adopt the 'Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)'," he added.

The population of Saudi Arabia has grown to 27 million in 2010 according to the latest census figures, 6 million of which are expatriates. The population is expected to grow by 1.5 percent yearly and expected to reach 30 million in 2016. Additionally, 19.8 percent are between 15 to 24 years of age and 44.2 percent are between 25 and 54.

The average household size is expected to decline to 5.28 people per occupied housing unit in 2020. The annual demand for low-cost housing units will increase from 168,000 in 2011 to 265,00 units in 2020. Saudi Arabia needs more than 4.5 million low-cost housing units over the next 20 years.

The government announced in March 2011 a plan to develop 500,000 housing units over 10 years at a cost of 67 billion.

According to the Zawya projects monitor, the Saudi construction market is valued at around 870 billion.