Egyptian Government Decides To Build A Massive Highway Straight Through A Residential Area
Highways are great when you need to move between cities fast. The only downsides are that they’re loud, dirty and occasionally prone to accidents – that’s why they’re usually built as far away from residential areas as possible. Or at least they were until now.
The Egyptian government recently surprised everyone by deciding to build a stretch of highway right through a residential area. And when we say right through it, we mean it. The newly constructed highway will be placed mere inches from people’s homes, resulting in not only terrible noise and pollution levels but also posing an incredible risk of accidents.
The Egyptian government recently decided to build a stretch of highway in a residential area
Image credits: Mostnir Shady Ahmed
The highway, named Teraet Al-Zomor Bridge, aka the King Salman Axis, will be as close as 50 cm (19.6 in) to buildings in some places. Not only that, it will be blocking sunlight for all the people that happen to live below the bridge.
Image credits: Mostnir Shady Ahmed
The highway bridge will be as close as 50cm to buildings in some areas
Image credits: Mostnir Shady Ahmed
The stretch of highway will be 12 kilometers (7.45 mi) long and 65.5 meters (~215 ft) wide. The cost of the project is estimated to be around 5 billion Egyptian pounds (317 million USD).
Image credits: El Soadaa Group
Many people were outraged and expressed concern for high noise and pollution levels
Image credits: El Soadaa Group
Sources say that one of the reasons the highway is being built so close to residential buildings is because they aren’t legally built there in the first place. An order to demolish the buildings after the highway is completed has been issued but the residents are fighting it. The Egyptian government plans to allocate 250 million Egyptian pounds to the residents living in the buildings that are planned to be demolished.
Image credits: El Soadaa Group
The state plans to allocate 250 million Egyptian pounds to the residents living in the buildings next to the highway
Image credits: El Soadaa Group
People are objecting the construction of the highway, stating that permits to build the residential buildings have been acquired back in 2008. Mohamed Fouad, a member of the Parliament, has been pushing for reconsideration of the highway project, saying that it puts the residents in danger and violates their privacy.
The photos of the ridiculously placed highway have been drawing attention on various social media platforms for quite some time now with many people finding it hard to believe they aren’t photoshopped.
Not everyone was surprised by the government’s decision
Some people even found it pretty funny
Got wisdom to pour?