Egyptian Government Decided To Build A Highway In The Middle Of A Residential Area
Whenever you go visit a friend in another town or city and ask them to show you around, they will often bombard you with amazing options for places to see because of how proud they are of where they live.
But, lets face it, city planning and management isn’t an easy task and each location is bound to have areas to avoid, whether it’s because of the crime rates, impossible traffic, or a slew of many other reasons.
Well, Egypt is in the news today because of a highway project that is raising eyebrows (either in laughter or seriousness) at the very least and making people frustrated and angry at the very most.
Land development in Cairo, Egypt is raising eyebrows everywhere, for one reason or another
Image credits: Mostnir Shady Ahmed
Social media have been blowing up with images of the under-construction Teraet Al-Zomor Bridge, also known as the King Salman Axis, being so close to a number of residential buildings that it seems like it’s connected to them.
To put things into perspective, the specific part of the highway bridge shown in the photographs is said to be roughly 50 centimeters away from the residential buildings. This means that the highway is within arm’s reach of people’s balconies.
Image credits: Mostnir Shady Ahmed
A highway bridge is currently under construction just 50cm away from a residential building
Image credits: Mostnir Shady Ahmed
Besides the extreme amounts of pollution that will be introduced once traffic is allowed on the highway, and the potential of people taking shortcuts via their balconies and through the highway, the lower floors will now be, quite literally, left in the dark with many residents and shops having to continue their lives living under a highway bridge.
The bridge can be found on an axis in the Giza Governorate, passing through Nasr El-Din Street in Al-Haram, Cairo. It is 12 kilometers long and up to 65.5 meters wide. It is estimated to cost around 5 billion Egyptian pounds, or almost 317 million US dollars.
Image credits: El Soadaa Group
Many showed concern on social media, pointing at pollution, dangerous traffic, and breach of privacy
Image credits: El Soadaa Group
Well, what prompted the state to plan the highway in such a seemingly ridiculous way? According to sources, the Ministry of Housing in Egypt explained that the four buildings that are extremely close to the bridge were actually built illegally. A decision to demolish these buildings had been issued for the moment that the bridge will be completed, but the possible push-back by the residents and the fact that bridge will be super close to the buildings might prolong or even halt the process. There is a plan to allocate 250 million Egyptian pounds as compensation to residents living in the buildings that are planned to be demolished.
Image credits: El Soadaa Group
The state will continue construction, with plans to compensate the inhabitants of the residential buildings
Image credits: El Soadaa Group
A lot of people have, however, objected to the highway’s construction, not only stating the problems mentioned previously, but also explaining that the permits to build these residential buildings were acquired back in 2008 and thus cannot be deemed illegal.
Member of Parliament Mohamed Fouad has been pushing for reconsideration of the construction project, stating that it not only puts the residents in danger on a physical as well as privacy level, but it also directly impacts the businesses situated under the highway.
People directly or indirectly affected by this project have been echoing these same concerns on social media, leading to the pictures gaining a lot of attention on Facebook, Twitter, and Imgur.
Here’s how people online reacted to the construction of the highway bridge in Cairo
And, of course, the internet wouldn’t be the internet if not for a handful of people having some fun
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section below!
You really think any Arab government care an iota about any citizen who isn't fabulously rich?
That sounds rather similar to one of the governments in North America. I can't remember which one, off the top of my head...
Load More Replies...Imagine living on a low level apartment and having no light anymore ._. awful!
And permanent noise above you. Like living under a subway. How horrible!
Load More Replies...And somewhere in the article, there's a small sentence about how the buildings are to be demolished, making this pure click bait.
And the sentence AFTER that points out that because the residents have pushed back and the buildings are so close to the freeway that it likely will not happen any time soon.
Load More Replies...For those who didn't read all article - buildings supposedly were built illegally and will be demolished eventually.
I understand that someone can build a shed in their back yard illegally but a building that size???. Oh look that building just appear last night.
Load More Replies...Can us imagine how many people are going to throw s**t off their balconies onto the road! Next come the fencing up all of these apartment buildings.
This looks like my horrible city planning when I play Cities: Skylines
This is a disaster just waiting to happen. I have see enough video of car/bike flying away from highway to know it.
Going back to the port on a tour bus from Kairo, on a similar multi-lane highway, in heavy traffic, the bus passed a pickup truck with women and children sitting on the open bed. The pickup truck hit a pothole or something and one of the kids, a boy that looked to be eight or ten years old, was thrown off... I screamed at the driver to stop but he didn't so I do not know what happened to the child but I cannot believe that he survived. Poverty is dangerous.
Load More Replies...Evacuation and demolition of the four illegally built buildings should have occurred BEFORE building the roadway, idiots.
I've seen these same photos in several places across the web, but I'd like to see some reporting on this: "the Ministry of Housing in Egypt explained that the four buildings that are extremely close to the bridge were actually built illegally" and this "the permits to build these residential buildings were acquired back in 2008 and thus cannot be deemed illegal" So, are the buildings legal and are they slated to be demolished?
This is disgusting. I grew up 1.5 blocks away from the New England Thruway, in the 60's and during the spring and summer, the fumes from the cars and eighteen-wheelers were terrible, also the black soot left a coating on everything including our lungs. I can just imagine what the rates of Asthma and COPD are going to be.
A rapidly increasing population together with rapid modernization no doubt causes a lot of planning problems, together with some weird "solutions". In 100, one hundred years, one century, the population of Egypt has grown by 90 million people. In 1920, the number of Egyptians was 12 million, by 1950 the population reached 20 million and the current population of Egypt is 102,062,314 as of Wednesday, May 13, 2020, the increase is now at the rate of one child every 15 seconds. (https://thearabweekly.com/egypts-population-predicament) (https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/egypt-population/)
What a dystopia. A long street full of ten storey buildings built illegally? I have a hard time believing it. Does it really worth to relocate people and ruin businesses like this?
Ancient Egypt has left us marvels of architecture! and here is the answer of contemporary Egypt
The deal should be..... If you can hop onto the highway from your window you should get a private parking space right there
all these houses are build illegally with the policy of the fait accompli . they refused all ways of giving away
Afwul! we have one almost like it in Sao Paulo. It is called : minhocao. if interested, look it up in google
This is the dumbest thing. You are supposed to demolish the buildings first. Not after you built the road. The building will definitely reck the freeway.
I have a freeway 15-20 meters from the back of my house. The noise has calmed because of COVID but it is way over the harmful limit. They will not erect a sound wall unless they make major changes, so not in my lifetime. When my wife bought the house 40 years ago, it was a country lane. Now a busy commute freeway into town. Good luck, Cairo.
What were they thinking?!?! I'd absolutely hate to live in one of those apartments. What a SHAME!!!
Can´t understand what´s going on there. so much tourism, such great history, such low brain solutions when it comes to life quality, restorage and safetyness. brings me to tears when i think of the people who have to live there ...
Motorway in the city? Why? Build metro line (only 20-25 feet deep, fast, cheap) or BRT! walk and bike on the street!
Motorway in the city? Why? Use the metro (just 20-25 feet deep) or BRT line! Walk and bike on the street, limited traffic for delivery or taxi.
In the 1950s&60s the Interstate highway system was originally designed to go right through the middle of cities. Of course the pathways were right through the poorest areas. Only because of the Freeway Revolt* in 1960 were they redesigned to include the loops that we now see. No though was given to the impact it might have. (*started by my landlord, his wife, an their friends in San Francisco and they were responsible for the world's first environmental impact reviews)
I get the problem. The buildings were illegally built. The government must have a talked with the owner of those buildings but in stubborn cases, they refuse to demolished it since many residents will be furios cause they cannot just transfer to another place right away and many reasons and so on. So the government, given that they have talked already, and still refuse, must be so furious too. So they build the highway to make people go away on their own. Who will last long in this kind of situation.
There are already a load of roads like this in Cairo. Doesn't make it right, but it's not new. Cairo looks nothing like what people expect. It's a total mess, with tiny pockets of colonial era buildings, then the pyramids on the edge of the city.
My advice: look for stories on "Minhocao" or "Elevado Costa e Silva" in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They are now trying to turn a similar structure into a park or something like it.
I'm wondering how the first car that wrecks off the side of the highway is going to impact the neighborhoods.
Looking in to The Ancient History of Egypt and the fabulous structures of Masterpiece, I developed a very high regard towards Egyptians and their talent and proficiency in building those monuments. Bur how come this generation is other way round.
The people who live in the nearby high-rises should have been compensated and moved before construction of the bridge began
Reminds me the SpongeBob episode spongeBob's last stand, but here we have to do with awful, old and dangerous block appartments
Truth be told, a functional freeway can cut pollution by 80%. Getting from point-A to B in less time means less fuel is needed than on slow surface streets.
You really think any Arab government care an iota about any citizen who isn't fabulously rich?
That sounds rather similar to one of the governments in North America. I can't remember which one, off the top of my head...
Load More Replies...Imagine living on a low level apartment and having no light anymore ._. awful!
And permanent noise above you. Like living under a subway. How horrible!
Load More Replies...And somewhere in the article, there's a small sentence about how the buildings are to be demolished, making this pure click bait.
And the sentence AFTER that points out that because the residents have pushed back and the buildings are so close to the freeway that it likely will not happen any time soon.
Load More Replies...For those who didn't read all article - buildings supposedly were built illegally and will be demolished eventually.
I understand that someone can build a shed in their back yard illegally but a building that size???. Oh look that building just appear last night.
Load More Replies...Can us imagine how many people are going to throw s**t off their balconies onto the road! Next come the fencing up all of these apartment buildings.
This looks like my horrible city planning when I play Cities: Skylines
This is a disaster just waiting to happen. I have see enough video of car/bike flying away from highway to know it.
Going back to the port on a tour bus from Kairo, on a similar multi-lane highway, in heavy traffic, the bus passed a pickup truck with women and children sitting on the open bed. The pickup truck hit a pothole or something and one of the kids, a boy that looked to be eight or ten years old, was thrown off... I screamed at the driver to stop but he didn't so I do not know what happened to the child but I cannot believe that he survived. Poverty is dangerous.
Load More Replies...Evacuation and demolition of the four illegally built buildings should have occurred BEFORE building the roadway, idiots.
I've seen these same photos in several places across the web, but I'd like to see some reporting on this: "the Ministry of Housing in Egypt explained that the four buildings that are extremely close to the bridge were actually built illegally" and this "the permits to build these residential buildings were acquired back in 2008 and thus cannot be deemed illegal" So, are the buildings legal and are they slated to be demolished?
This is disgusting. I grew up 1.5 blocks away from the New England Thruway, in the 60's and during the spring and summer, the fumes from the cars and eighteen-wheelers were terrible, also the black soot left a coating on everything including our lungs. I can just imagine what the rates of Asthma and COPD are going to be.
A rapidly increasing population together with rapid modernization no doubt causes a lot of planning problems, together with some weird "solutions". In 100, one hundred years, one century, the population of Egypt has grown by 90 million people. In 1920, the number of Egyptians was 12 million, by 1950 the population reached 20 million and the current population of Egypt is 102,062,314 as of Wednesday, May 13, 2020, the increase is now at the rate of one child every 15 seconds. (https://thearabweekly.com/egypts-population-predicament) (https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/egypt-population/)
What a dystopia. A long street full of ten storey buildings built illegally? I have a hard time believing it. Does it really worth to relocate people and ruin businesses like this?
Ancient Egypt has left us marvels of architecture! and here is the answer of contemporary Egypt
The deal should be..... If you can hop onto the highway from your window you should get a private parking space right there
all these houses are build illegally with the policy of the fait accompli . they refused all ways of giving away
Afwul! we have one almost like it in Sao Paulo. It is called : minhocao. if interested, look it up in google
This is the dumbest thing. You are supposed to demolish the buildings first. Not after you built the road. The building will definitely reck the freeway.
I have a freeway 15-20 meters from the back of my house. The noise has calmed because of COVID but it is way over the harmful limit. They will not erect a sound wall unless they make major changes, so not in my lifetime. When my wife bought the house 40 years ago, it was a country lane. Now a busy commute freeway into town. Good luck, Cairo.
What were they thinking?!?! I'd absolutely hate to live in one of those apartments. What a SHAME!!!
Can´t understand what´s going on there. so much tourism, such great history, such low brain solutions when it comes to life quality, restorage and safetyness. brings me to tears when i think of the people who have to live there ...
Motorway in the city? Why? Build metro line (only 20-25 feet deep, fast, cheap) or BRT! walk and bike on the street!
Motorway in the city? Why? Use the metro (just 20-25 feet deep) or BRT line! Walk and bike on the street, limited traffic for delivery or taxi.
In the 1950s&60s the Interstate highway system was originally designed to go right through the middle of cities. Of course the pathways were right through the poorest areas. Only because of the Freeway Revolt* in 1960 were they redesigned to include the loops that we now see. No though was given to the impact it might have. (*started by my landlord, his wife, an their friends in San Francisco and they were responsible for the world's first environmental impact reviews)
I get the problem. The buildings were illegally built. The government must have a talked with the owner of those buildings but in stubborn cases, they refuse to demolished it since many residents will be furios cause they cannot just transfer to another place right away and many reasons and so on. So the government, given that they have talked already, and still refuse, must be so furious too. So they build the highway to make people go away on their own. Who will last long in this kind of situation.
There are already a load of roads like this in Cairo. Doesn't make it right, but it's not new. Cairo looks nothing like what people expect. It's a total mess, with tiny pockets of colonial era buildings, then the pyramids on the edge of the city.
My advice: look for stories on "Minhocao" or "Elevado Costa e Silva" in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They are now trying to turn a similar structure into a park or something like it.
I'm wondering how the first car that wrecks off the side of the highway is going to impact the neighborhoods.
Looking in to The Ancient History of Egypt and the fabulous structures of Masterpiece, I developed a very high regard towards Egyptians and their talent and proficiency in building those monuments. Bur how come this generation is other way round.
The people who live in the nearby high-rises should have been compensated and moved before construction of the bridge began
Reminds me the SpongeBob episode spongeBob's last stand, but here we have to do with awful, old and dangerous block appartments
Truth be told, a functional freeway can cut pollution by 80%. Getting from point-A to B in less time means less fuel is needed than on slow surface streets.
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