New Routes to Sinai...Sisi Inaugurates Port Said Tunnels

President Abdul Fattah El Sisi is inaugurating Tuesday a number of mega projects in Port Said governorate, headed by the Port Said tunnels, also known as 3 July, and 30 June Axis. The project is executed by the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces and a number of Egyptian companies. 

The Port Said tunnels are linking between southern Port Said with the governorate of North Sinai. 

For the first time, goods and their movement between the east and west of the Suez Canal are easier to reach through the Port Said tunnels. 

The 3 July Tunnel, which links the western cities of the canal to its east, is set to facilitate the trade movement in the Suez Canal region, and there is also the tunnel of the martyr Ahmed Hamdy. 

The Port Said tunnels are one of the largest tunnel projects in the world. They were implemented at a record time, not more than 4 years. It is universally accepted that the implementation of tunnels takes 5-7 years. 

During a meeting with the General Authority of Suez Canal Economic Zine Chairman Mohamed Yahiya Zaki earlier this November, Sisi followed up the progress of a strategy for upgrading the SCZone.

“Port Said Tunnels will play a significant role in facilitating trade movement,” said Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady on November 6. 

Port Said Tunnels Projects, Goals

East Port-Said Port development project which aims to transforming it into a hub port so the region would be the beating heart for world trade. 5 km. of quay walls were constructed with 18.5 m. of draught so it accommodates Triple E vessels.

That is in addition to developing the logistics area on 24 km2 to allow the port to receive large investments.

Connecting the banks of the Canal at the three cities on the waterway to facilitate the movement of the people and better serve the projects in the area through:

• 36 ferries in 8 locations along the Canal; including 13 new ones (7 of 320 tons, and 6 of 210 tons)
• Upgrading and raising the efficiency of Ahmed Hamdy tunnel at 142.5 km mark (Suez Canal numbering) in Suez.
• Floating Bridges: phase one was the Nasr Bridge in Port-Said, and phase two had the Ahmed Mansy Bridge in Nemra 6 in Ismailia, and Abanoub Bridge in East Qantara. They were followed by Ahmed Shabrawy Bridge in Sarabium, and Taha Zaki in Al-Shat area in Suez.
• Tunnels Under the Canal: 4 new 30 m. deep tunnels, 2 in Ismailia and another 2 in Port-Said. Construction works were under the supervision of the Engineering Authority of the Egyptian Armed Forces. The president inaugurated the Ismailia tunnels last May, and the Port-Said tunnels have been inaugurated today, Tuesday.
• The Engineering Authority have already started the construction works in a tunnel to the north of Ahmed Hamdy tunnel in Suez at a length of 3200 m. to be run by the SCA.