We would die if we stopped dreaming. We have every right to dream, and to see our dreams come true. Only five days separate us from that moment when we meet our dream in reality, scream in joy "yes, we can do it". It was questionable for some of us that the Suez Canal Authority would be able to accomplish President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's orders to get the new canal dug within a year. However, during a visit to the new canal over a month ago according to an official invitation from Head of the Egyptian Military Administration of Spiritual Affairs, Gen. Mohsen Abdel Nabi, I found the miracle achieved. Walking beside Head of the Suez Canal Authority, LT Gen. Mohab Mamish, inspecting activities of dredging and pitching by giant diggers, I asked myself whether a nation over the years could turn, in less than a year, a five-meter high mountain into a water canal, 35 km in length, 24m in depth and 400m in width. On Aug. 6, 2015, the Egyptians will bestow the world with their achievement, one of the most complicated and challenging activities in the human history. This giant project comes as a response to the expected future growth in the international trade movement as the new canal will increase the daily average of transiting vessels to 97 ships by 2023, up from 49 at present, bringing the revenues to 13.226 billion US dollars instead of its current revenues estimated at 5.3 billion US dollars. Besides increasing the national revenues of hard currency, the new canal will facilitate traffic in the two directions, lessening the waiting time for transiting ships to 11 hours instead of 18 hours which decreases the cost of trips for the vessel's owners. The whole project, which cost a total of EGP60 billion ($8.2 billion) funded by the Egyptian people, includes the establishment of six tunnels beneath the canal as well as other three tunnels, known as the Ismailia Tunnels, two for cars and one for railway lines, to link the Sinai Peninsula with the canal's western bank. A total of 230 million cubic meters has been dug from Mark "km 60" north to Mark "Km 95" south besides 180 million cubic meters completely dug along four kilometers, only eight months after the president had issued orders to start the project. Al-Ballah bypass has been widened by digging a total of fifty million cubic meters along 10 km to become 312 meters in width in addition to engineering procession for bridges and ferries; unloading the sedimentation basins in the main channel and deepening and widening the natural lakes in New Ismailia City. A group of 38 diggers have managed to dig 258 million cubic meters through dredging 28 kilometers in different depths in the existing canal. All necessary equipment has been installed to transport and secure communication facilities electricity, water, fuel, irrigation water beneath the new Suez Canal; to secure the intersection of the Fardan - Bir al-Abed railway line with the new Suez Canal path and to secure natural gas lines. Five days from now, Egyptians will see a symphony of work, achievement and miracles on the banks of the Suez Canal to make the whole world understands miracles the June 30 revolution brought in the Egyptians' selves, miracles felt in each atom of sweat running on Egyptian laborers and soldiers to construct such a great project that President Sisi likes to name "the great Egyptian dream."
