Riyadh begins final phase of road network upgrade

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) has launched the final phase of the road expansion project in the Saudi capital.

Spending on phase four of the main and ring road development programme in Riyadh will reach SAR9.8 billion ($2.6 billion), RCRC said in a statement.

The project includes the development of four major road corridors spanning 40 kilometres, with 14 key intersections, 33 bridges, five tunnels and six pedestrian bridges.

Upon completion, the upgraded infrastructure will accommodate more than 950,000 vehicles per day. The road development initiative was announced in 2020 by Crown Prince and RCRC chairman Mohammed bin Salman.

The final phase includes the extension and upgrade of Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah Road (southern section), Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Awwal Road (central section), Prince Mishal bin Abdulaziz Road and Najmuddin Al-Ayoubi Road (western section).

The first phase of the programme began in August 2024 with an investment of SAR13 billion. Total investment in the second phase (February 2025) and the third phase (December 2025) was SAR16 billion.

Speaking at the Public Investment Fund (PIF) Private Sector Forum in Riyadh in February, Khalid Al Falih, who was then the kingdom’s investment minister, said “priorities have arisen to which we cannot say no”, referring to the Riyadh Expo and the Fifa World Cup.

There are stadiums that still need to be completed to host the football competition, Al Falih said.

• Riyadh housing contracts awarded by Royal Commission
• Saudi Arabia awards contract to expand freight railway network
• Projects awarded in Saudi Arabia hit $8bn in May

Saudi Arabia has said the games will take place in 15 stadiums, 11 of which are yet to be built.

The $1 trillion Saudi sovereign wealth fund fuelling the Vision 2030 development programme, has slashed budgets across its portfolio companies since 2024 as the price of oil fell from an average of $81 a barrel to below $64.

AGBI reported last year that PIF ordered cuts of between 20 percent and 60 percent across its portfolio companies at a board meeting in December 2024.