Iman Rashed: With only fourteen days to the opening of the New Suez Canal, Egypt’s gift to the world epitomises the strength and determination of the Egyptian people to face challenges and surmounting every difficulty to restore the country’s potential and its regional and international position.
After 345 days of construction, during which Egyptian labourers worked strenuously day and night to complete 250 million cubic metres of dry drilling of the main canal for 35 kilometres, from km 60 north to km 95 south of the canal, and communication channels at km 65–76–84–89 along the canal at a distance of four kilometres, a total of 1.80 million cubic metres of dry drilling has been 100 per cent completed. Some 70 million cubic metres have been drilled to widen the Ballah branch by 100 per cent for 10kms at a width of 61 metres to become 312 metres in width, in addition to creating side curves and preparing bridges, ferryboats and evacuating precipitation basins in the main canal and expanding natural lakes in the New Ismailia City and drilling operations using engineering equipment underwater.
Within the framework of coordination with the Suez Canal Authority, the dredging operations began a month after the project has launched to deepen the New Suez Canal by 35kms and increase the depth and width of the western branch of al-Ballah island for 10km, and the Defresoire and Kabreet branches for 27km, ans well as the four connection channels of the new canal by a total of 250 million cubic metres of drilling under water. A total of 39 dredgers are currently in use; they have so far dredged 254 million cubic metres, representing 98.4 per cent of the planned 258 million cubic metres.
The plan to expand the road network east of the Suez Canal is being implemented with three priorities: the first includes developing and expanding the width of the road leading to the al-Salaam Bridge as far as Sarabyoum and the Ferdanal–al-Awsat–Sarabyoum connection for 52.5km. The sand bridge being formed, the foundation layer, the assisting foundation and the linking asphalt layer are being implemented by 71 per cent. Developing and expanding the Ismailia–al-Ouja road is being expanded for 211km as a third priority.
Survey operations are being carried out and the conflicting utilities are being relocated along with the expansion of the road and the formation of the sand bridge. A total of 27 per cent of the work has been completed.
Road and drilling operations are being carried out by 147 civilian companies using 4,300 pieces of engineering equipment and 45,000 engineers, technicians and labourers. Engineering preparations, precipitation basins and roads work are being carried out by 94 companies using 2,000 pieces of equipment and 21,200 engineers, technicians and labourers in addition to a roads-brigade and a survey company.
All this coincides with the establishment of the New Ismailia City on 4,927 feddans to establish 58,000 residential units along an area of 2,828 square metres during the first phase, 34,000 of which represent an integral urban housing community that comprise all necessary services for workers in the Suez Canal and Sinai development sectors. Contracts have been signed with 126 companies, and the drilling of foundations for 636 residential buildings and 258 villas have been carried out. Foundations have been laid for 815 residential buildings and villas, and concrete foundations for 724 buildings and villas. Ceilings for the basements of 455 residential buildings were constructed and the same is being done for 235 others.
Concrete operations for social building, a restaurant, a ballroom and a mosque for 500 worshippers have been completed. Also bazaars, condominiums, a gym, playgrounds, swimming pools, power and gas stations are complete. The establishment of the roads network for the city has begun, and coordination is underway with the ministers concerned to extend utilities to New Ismailia City.
Four groups of tunnels have been established, with each group containing two tunnels for vehicles and one for a railway with an outside radius of 12.6 metres and a depth of 16-20 metres from the bed of the Suez Canal for 3.7– 8.3km with a total of 33.2km. The first group is located at thekm 19, 150 sign of the Canal south of Port Said, while the second group at the km 73, 250 sign of the canal north of Ismailia.
