Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) has awarded an estimated SR5bn ($1.3bn) contract for the construction of the Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah Road project in Riyadh.

The contract was awarded to the joint venture of Riyadh-based Al-Rashid Trading & Contracting Company (RTCC) and Turkiye’s IC Ictas.

The project stretches 12 kilometres (km) from Khurais Road to Al-Thumama Road in Riyadh.

The Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah Road project is a key component of the Second Eastern Ring Road scheme.

The project includes the construction of five interchanges: Prince Bandar interchange, King Abdullah interchange, Imam Abdullah interchange, Dammam Road interchange and Al-Thumama interchange.

The latest contract marks another significant project award to the RTCC-IC Ictas joint venture by RCRC.

In June 2024, RCRC awarded an estimated SR4bn ($1bn) design-and-build contract to upgrade the Wadi Laban cable bridge in Riyadh to the joint venture of RTCC and IC Ictas.

The project aims to ease traffic congestion around the Western Ring Road in the area extending from Ibn-Hazm Road to Jeddah Road. The contract also covers the construction of an intersection at Jeddah Road.

The construction of the bridge originally began in August 1993 and was completed in 1997.

The existing bridge is 763 metres long and 35 metres wide, with two 14-metre-wide carriageways.

In 2021, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud said the population of Riyadh would double to 15-20 million people by 2030.

He directed government entities to work closely with the RCRC to prepare the city’s development strategy.

The RCRC’s major projects include Riyadh Metro, Riyadh Art, Sports Boulevard, King Salman International Park, Green Riyadh and several road development projects in the capital.