By Gihan Shahine Construction work on the 2.6 kilometre Al-Azhar tunnel began in September and is now well under way. The dual carriageway tunnel, which will link the Al-Azhar district with Opera Square, will have two lanes in each direction. It is part of a comprehensive plan to streamline traffic in the heart of the capital, and will complete the transformation of the historic district of Fatimid Cairo into an open-air museum. Work on the first two lanes of the tunnel will be completed in July 2000, while the second two will be opened 12 months later. Once the tunnel is finished, cars will be banned from the Al-Azhar area, which will be pedestrianised, and the Al-Azhar fly-over will be removed. Later this month, the giant digging machine, Nefertiti, which played a key role in constructing the capital's subway network, will be brought into action -- an event which will be witnessed by Transport Minister Suleiman Metwalli. Official sources say the project has features high-quality design and strenuous safety requirements: a security system will control the tunnel gates, cameras and sign-posts will be installed, and there will be traffic data and fire-control systems. The tunnel will be monitored for flames, smoke, temperature, carbon dioxide emissions and wind speed. Four ventilation shafts will evacuate exhaust fumes and an electricity generator will be on hand in case of power cuts. The control centre will boast all the latest technology, including a wireless alarm system and an emergency telephone network. The centre will be linked to the nearby civil defence authority, and ambulances, fire-brigades and police security will be on call round the clock. In each direction there will be one lane reserved for public transport and micro-buses and another open to private cars and taxis. The speed limit will be 60 kilometres per hour. Officials say the buildings surrounding the tunnel have been tested to ensure they will withstand the extensive digging work. Although many urban planners believe the project is a positive step on the part of the government, others are more sceptical and foresee problems which might have been averted had more care been taken at the planning stage. "The Al-Azhar tunnel is a huge and very expensive project," said Milad Hanna, an urban planning expert. "But I think any such project should be preceded by proper consultations, both with experts and with local residents, who will be directly affected. So far, the public has been told nothing about the construction costs and the anticipated gains." The inhabitants of Al-Azhar district, Hanna added, are happy that the fly-over, which has contributed to noise and congestion in the area, will be relocated. "Still, the tunnel project should be viewed as an exercise in crisis management," Hanna said. "That is, the more the government improves the infrastructure of Cairo, providing it with transport and communication facilities, the more immigrants and investors move in, resulting in further over-crowding and traffic congestion. The government then feels forced to carry out a rapid study to solve the problem. Problems are only partially solved, and before people have time to enjoy the improvements, they discover that the traffic jams have got worse. So the government gets into a vicious circle of launching projects without thorough studies and master plans, and thus further complicating the traffic problems it set out to solve." But Mahmoud Sami Hassan, former dean of the faculty of engineering at Helwan University, thinks the tunnel is an "ambitious and civilised project, which is likely to relieve traffic jams in the area if the necessary safety measures are provided." "Tunnels are usually better than fly-overs in terms of urban planning," Hassan explained. Zaki Hawwas, another planning expert, concurs. He thinks, however, that the project has both positive and negative aspects. The latter, he believes, could easily be avoided. "The tunnel will definitely streamline traffic and decrease pollution as well as car accidents in the Al-Azhar area," Hawwas said. "It will also help preserve the Islamic monuments, since it will decrease both motor vibrations and the emission of carbon dioxide, which affect the foundations of the buildings in the neighbourhood. The pedestrianisation of the area will also give the governor the opportunity to remove street vendors who endanger monuments and abuse antiquities." Hawwas agrees with Hassan that proper maintenance and security measures should be provided. "The tunnel should be well-ventilated because if a car breaks down, the tunnel will be blocked and there will be an awful lot of car fumes. Moreover, traffic jams are likely to occur at both the beginning and the end of the tunnel, as well as in nearby streets such as Salah Salem, Abdel-Aziz, Mohamed Ali and El-Geish," he said. Hawwas suggests the tunnel be equipped with telescopic lifts to tow broken cars out of the tunnel through openings in the ceiling. He also suggests plans be made as to how to avoid potential traffic jams in the surrounding areas. Official sources said measures will be taken to avoid the potential for knock-on traffic jams in the downtown area. Two new roads will be opened, one connecting Salah Salem Street with Ramses Square, the other linking Salah Salem street with the Abdeen area, via Al-Darb Al-Ahmar and Hassan Al-Akbar streets, ending up at Al-Tahrir Square.
