El-Sisi gives the go-ahead for the operation of the Port Said “3rd of July” Tunnels

27 November 2019
Category SCA News

Admiral Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, announced today starting the trial operation of the Port Said "3rd of July" tunnels.  He was represented by Eng. Entesar Amir, director of the Tunnels & Bridges Dept. in the Authority, who witnessed the start of the operation and see that traffic for all vehicles is going smoothly in the tunnels to and from Sinai.

Admiral Rabie said that President Abdelfatah El-Sisi's opening of the Port Said tunnels among other developmental projects in Sinai and the Canal region is a new starting point for ambitious development plans in the region. It is also a culmination of the country's efforts to improve the infrastructure and achieve the optimum linkage cross-country connectivity through the national road network.

His Excellency also explained that the SCA's Tunnels & Bridges Department supervises the operation and maintenance of the tunnels with a specialized work group of experienced, efficient and trained engineers, technicians and administrative staff.  Operation hours in the tunnels during the trial period are from 8 am to 6 pm, to become operational around the clock in the near future.

He added that opening the Port Said unnels has significantly shortened the time of crossing to and from Sinai, as the time required to cross from one bank of the Canal to the other does not exceed 10 minutes including all procedures. He stressed that the designing of the tunnels accommodated the highest safety standards through special systems for ventilation, lighting, firefighting and radio communications.

On her part, Eng. Entesar Amir, director of the SCA's Tunnels & Bridges Dept., explained that work in the Port Said tunnels is done through a well-equipped control room as well as surveillance cameras and monitoring systems installed along the tunnels. She pointed out that tunnels' users are required to comply with traffic regulations inside them; not exceeding the speed limit of 60 km/hr., and a maximum height of 4.6 m. and a maximum width of 2.6 m. for vehicles.

The "3rd of July" tunnels south of Port Said are located at 19.150 km mark, canal numbering. They are two car tunnels constructed by a consortium of national companies (Orascom and The Arab Contractors) under the supervision of the Armed Forces' Engineering Authority. The total length of each of the tunnels is 3920 m. and their height is 5.5 m.  The upper porthole of the tunnel is 40 m. below sea-level. Each tunnel has two lanes accommodating one direction only, and cross passages for emergencies. The tunnels' design includes safe zones, and public service facilities of global standards in its vicinity.


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