The government has begun to remove all obstacles impeding implementation of the National Roads Project to begin expropriating for the public benefit, according to Prime Minister Mehleb. This will provide adequate compensation and expedited customs procedures to release the equipment necessary to carry out the project. According to a cabinet statement, the Prime Minister, along with Transportation Minister Hany Dahi, reviewed the situation for each road and means to overcome their various obstacles. The project will cover 1,250km and 13 roads divided into 22 projects, with 16 companies carrying out the work. Dakar Abdellah, a member of the Egyptian Union of Construction & Building Contractors and the Construction Committee of the Businessmen's Association, said that the National Roads Project's bitumen needs are estimated at approximately EGP 750m per month. This is for a total of nearly EGP 6bn when the project is finished next September. In a Wednesday press statement, Abdellah stressed the need for bank financing to be integrated. He pointed out that a large amount of bitumen is required to implement this mega-project, and that utilising three layers of asphalt will require implementing 670,020 tonnes of bitumen. He emphasised that the project would be implemented by September 2015 as per the schedule, as President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi wants 208,752 tonnes of bitumen supplied per month. Total production for Egyptian laboratories, in addition to bitumen imports, reach approximately 84,490 per month. Mehleb stressed the need to ensure safety and security during implementation of these projects, while simultaneously paying attention to quality. He warned that low-quality implementation for any project would not be acceptable, and requested that any company that finds itself unable to implement the project leave the work to others. "We must set out modified timelines for road projects which will be followed-up on weekly," Mehleb said, emphasising that each company head would be responsible for the details of each project. On Tuesday evening, Mehleb met with the Minister of Transportation at his ministry's headquarters in addition to General Authority for Roads, Bridges, and Land Transport (GARBLT) officials and officials from companies undertaking the project in order to follow up on the progress of implementation of the road network within the framework of the project. During the meeting, those present reviewed the situation of five roads in the Project's framework that have operated unhindered. They also discussed three projects not yet received by GARBLT due to obstacles, including several regional ring roads.Three other projects received by GARBLT encountering obstacles strongly influencing implementation rates were also reviewed. Also discussed were three projects that began late due to withdrawal and replacement of various companies, including: the Sheikh Fadl/Ras Gharib road, development of the Cairo/Suez road from the Ring intersection through Suez, and Central Ring Road. Mehleb called for a monthly contest through which the company with the highest achievement and efficiency rates be announced. He also called on each company to honour the ideal project manager, engineer, and employee on a monthly basis as well.
