Prime Minister Dr. Moustafa Madbouli inspected the Alternative Axis for Aswan Reservoir during his visit to Aswan. He was accompanied by Lieutenant General Eng. Kamel Al Wazir - Minister of Transport, Major Gen. Hisham Amna - Minister of Local Development and Major General Ashraf Attia - Aswan Governor. The Manager of the project explained to the Prime Minister the progress of the implementation and construction of the axis, adding that the axis is 5.4 meters long and 29 meters wide divided into three lanes in each direction. In addition to 3 industrial works includes 2 bridges and a tunnel, besides the road work with a length of 3.35km. He pointed out that the implementation rates reached 95%.
The Minister of Transport asserted the importance of this developmental axis which contributes to moving the traffic from the reservoir body to the new axis to maintain the reservoir and extend its lifespan. In addition to creating new developmental zones in the west of the Nile River and link the residential areas with agricultural and industrial developmental areas in the west and east of the Nile. The axis also contributes to providing a big number of job opportunities in addition to facilitating the transportation of citizens and serving the developmental projects, as well as linking between the road network east and west of the Nile River with transverse axes to achieve comprehensive development in Upper Egypt.
It is a noteworthy that the Arab Contractors Company is carrying out the alternative axis for Aswan reservoir which aims to accommodate the traffic between East and West Nile and links extension of Aswan/Bernis Road with the Western Desert Road (Cairo/Aswan), it is planned to transfer the load on the body of Aswan Reservoir to the new axis in order to preserve it and reduce the passage of heavy loads. The estimated cost of the axis is 1.5 billion EGP; its total length is 4.5km, width 30m with 3 lanes in each direction. It consists of 4 main bridges (a bridge on the Nile with 676m length and 29m width which carried out by the Arab Contractors Company with a cost of 700million EGP, a bridge on the High Dam’s spillway, the bridge of the western agricultural road - the bridge of the eastern agricultural road “corniche”). In addition to the industrial works of culverts - pipes – tunnels. AC is carring out the foundation works, pillars and the bases of the bridge on the Nile. Regarding Daraw Axis on the Nile in Aswan which is carried out by the Arab Contractors Company; its cost reached 1.350 billion EGP, with a length of 18km. The width of the bridge over the Nile is 25m, the width of the other bridges’ sectors reached 21m. The project includes 10 industrial works of bridges and tunnels. The pathway of the axis from the eastern side starting with a bridge over the eastern agricultural road passing by a bridge over Al Tawaysa drainage and another bridge over Daraw lake crossing over the River Nile and Daraw drainage with a higher bridge; it is including 4 outlets and 2 stairs for serving the inhabitant. Before crossing the west of the River Nile there is a surface bridge over the Nile for the existence of an island in the middle of the Rive Nile's stream moving to a bridge over the asphalt road and a tunnel to serve the agriculture movement in the region to reach the bridge of the western agriculture road until reaching the western desert road. The project scope of works include the implementation of the bridges, industrial works, roads, electricity, rain drain and the traffic safety system. Besides, the company carries out a number of New Aswan projects with about 800 million EGP; it includes the River Strip Project which includes 66 villas the landscape works with total value 45 million EGP. It consists of road network 3500 m length – wastewater network 4100 m l – water network 6900 m l – irrigation networks 7250 m l – landscape work (interlock – cultivation – electricity) – shops (3 groups at the touristic walkway – 2 groups in the Nile garden), construction of 63 villas fully finished with total value 244 million EGP. In addition to the construction of the Second phase of the water purification plant with a capacity of 25000m3/hour in New Aswan with a value of 168.4 million EGP to increase the capacity and efficiency of the water plant in the city to reach 50000m3/hour to serve the new extensions. This was in the presence of Eng. Yasser Ahmed El Bahnasy – Deputy Branch Manager, Eng. Hashem El Madany - Deputy Branch Manager and Manager of New Aswan Projects, Eng. Ahmed Magdy – Manager of Electromechanical Works in the branch, Eng. Anas El Sagheer – Deputy Manager of Bridges Department, Eng. Hossam Abdel Qader and Eng. Moustafa Gomaa – Project Managers of the alternative axis for the Aswan reservoir and Daraw Axis.
The axis will link Aswan- Baranees Road to the Western Desert Road (Cairo-Aswan) crossing the River Nile and the Western Agricultural Road (Cairo – Aswan) and linking to Aswan/ Abu Simbel. The axis will extend to the west to connect with Aswan LRT, and increase the efficiency of the road connecting east of the axis with Aswan-Baranees Road.
Lieutenant General Kamel Al Wazir also confirmed that the Ministry of Transport had developed a plan to establish 3 new development axes in Aswan to serve citizens, facilitate their various movements, and serve the trade movement, which are: Kalabsha axis on the Nile, which was inaugurated presidentially, and the Alternative Axis of Aswan reservoir, which will be completed soon, in addition to Daraw Axis on the Nile, which is ongoing, as it is 18 km long and 21 meters wide, with 2 traffic lanes in each direction, and includes 9 industrial works.
The Minister of Transport added that the implementation of these developmental axes comes at the directives of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in July 2014 to decrease the distances between the Nile axes to 25 kilometers to serve developmental projects and new urban communities by establishing integrated transverse axes to connect the road network east and west of the Nile is not just a bridge on the Nile only, pointing out that before 2014, 38 axes were implemented, and in 2014 it was planned to construct 34 new axes on the Nile, pointing out that from 2014 until now, the implementation of 13 axes has been completed, bringing the number of axes to 51 axes, and there is 21 axes are under construction until the year 2030, bringing the total number of axes and bridges to 72 axes and bridges, including 36 axes/bridges in Upper Egypt, explaining that these giant projects are being implemented by specialized national Egyptian companies.
During his explanation, the Minister of Transport pointed out that a number of important road projects in Aswan Governorate, such as developing and duplicating a distance of 327.5 km of the Western Upper Egypt Desert Road within the scope of Aswan, out of a total length of the road that amounts to 1,155 km, in the distances from (Al Sabaaya / Edfu) with a length of 25 km - Edfu / Aswan with a length of 87.5 km - Aswan / Toshka with a length of 215 km, explaining that the Western Upper Egypt Desert Road is part of the Cairo - Cape Town Road Project, which is the longest land axis in Africa, with a total length of 10,228 km. It passes through 9 African countries, and aims to promote trade movement between African countries.
This visit was in the presence of Eng. Heba Abul Ella –Board Member of the Arab Contractors Company and Eng.Ayman Abdo – Executive Board Member of the Arab Contractors Company and Head of the Bridges and Foundations Sector.
It is worth mentioning that the Arab Contractors Company is implementing the second sector of the alternative axis for Aswan reservoir under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport. It consists of a concrete bridge on the Nile; 14 axes, with a length of 676m and a width of 29m. It has 3 lanes on each side, and the opening of the navigation is 180m wide.