Mubarak opens new Cairo tunnel
Egypt, Economics, 10/29/2001

The Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Sunday morning opened a new tunnel in the old Cairo area of Al Azhar.

Attending the opening ceremony were Prime Minister Atef Ebeid, speakers of the two houses of parliament, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Youssef Wali, Information Minister Safwat el-Sherif, Culture Minister Farouk Hosni and Transport Minister Ibrahim el-Deemeri.

Defence Minister Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Interior Minister Habib el-Adli and other senior state officials were also present.

Addressing the ceremony, the transport minister said that the new tunnel was aimed at easing clogged traffic and curbing pollution in the area which is rich in Islamic monuments.

It was necessary to go underground as a realistic solution to overcome the traffic problem in one of the most crowded areas in terms of cars and pedestrians, added el-Demeeri.

The tunnel, which links the suburban Salah Salem Street to central Cairo Opera Square, stretches for 2.6 kilometres.

The minister cited difficulties faced while constructing the project.

The digging machine was used with extreme caution beneath important Islamic monuments located in the vicinity of the tunnel, he said.

He added that in the process of building the tunnel, detours were used to head off disruption in the traffic and at the same time ensure the project would be carried out as scheduled.

The tunnel has been built with the highest safety standards observed and is fed by four major electric sources, in addition to a standby transformer.

The tunnel is also fitted with advanced ventilation and rescue systems.

Telephones are installed every 100 metres to enable the public to communicate the central control building in emergency cases or when their cars break down and they need to be guided, said the transport minister.

Culture Minister Farouk Hosni reviewed restoration efforts in the Old Cairo aimed at making it a world attraction. The Islamic antiquities conserved in Egypt total 147, including 24 in the area of Al Azhar and al-Hussein (in Old Cairo), he told the ceremony.

The official presented a future plan to make use of the area's landmarks to enhance its status and activities in cooperation with the Housing Ministry and Cairo Governorate.

During the ceremony, a 15-minute documentary was shown on the new project. Mubarak then toured the tunnel where he was briefed on its operation and facilities.

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