Highway 16 (Egypt)
Highway 16 | |
|---|---|
| Cairo - Suez Road | |
Highway 16 highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 123 km (76 mi) |
| Major junctions | |
| From | Cairo |
| East end | Suez |
| Location | |
| Country | Egypt |
| Highway system | |
Highway 16,[a] colloquially known as Suez Desert Road (Arabic: طريق السويس الصحراوي), is a primary road connecting the capital city with the port of Suez.
The road is mainly used for transportation, trade and industry from the maritime areas of the country to the capital, connecting as El-Shorouk in Cairo Governorate.[2] The road runs along the northern part of the El-Galala Plateau (Arabic: هضبة الجلالة).[3] The condition of the road has been partially altered following the recurrent transit of heavy vehicles, including large parts of trucks destined for the transportation of the port of Suez as well as the circulation of trucks serving the cement factories.[4]
History
Historically this road was originally used through camel travel, from the 1940s onwards, the use of camel travel increased, although it was difficult to complete the journey due to the road conditions in remote areas of the Eastern Desert,[b] the Egyptian administration decided to improve the road conditions for travelers by establishing brick stations and several hotels were established around the desert road in the country after the opening of the Suez Canal.[c]
In early 2016, the local construction company Hassan Allam in collaboration with the Egyptian government engineers started the expansion and renovation of Highway 16 as part of the National Roads Project, these specific works to improve the road between Cairo and Suez cost approximately more than one billion Egyptian pounds according to government sources.[6]
In mid-2018, the rehabilitation of Highway 16 with the Central Ring Road was completed with the widening of lanes as well as the establishment of security cameras.[7] In 2020, National Road Company established more tolls in residential areas between New Cairo, El Shorouk, Badr and Madinaty following complaints from locals regarding heavy traffic on the Highway.[8]
Route
Cairo Governorate
The road starts in Nasr City located in the Governorate of Cairo and then goes far east until it reaches the northern part of New Cairo. Additionally, Highway 16 passes around the historic ruins of Burj al-Tawabil al-Athari (Arabic: برج التوابل الأثرى) located at Km 21, an ancient tower built during the British rule. Also, the route connects other historical sites in the governorate in the city of Shorouk such as the Patmos Monastery (Arabic: دير بطمس) and then goes to Badr City and intersects with the Regional Ring Road.
Suez Governorate
Highway 16 runs through the desert area of the governorate passing around the rock formations of Gebel Nasuri and Gebel Anqabiya.[9][10] Additionally, the highway passes around the Jabal Gharrah/Gebel Gharra, one of the rock formations located in the 'Atāqah District.[11]
Then it heads further east and connects the town of Agrod (Arabic: عجرود) as well as several cemeteries and then enters the urban center of the city of Suez. The route finally heads much further south, passing mainly through the industrial area of the city.
External links
Notes
- ^ Previously known as Highway 03[1]
- ^ طريق السويس الصحراوى فى سنة ١٨٤٦ إلى ٢,٥٠٠ جمل وارتفع عدد المسافرين في هذا الطريق إلى ٢,١٠٠ مسافر ، ثم قفز عددهم إلى أكثر من ثلاثة آلاف مسافر في سنة ١٨٤٨ ، المسافرون بما كانوا يلقونه فى طريق السويس الصحراوى ـ وهو أشق مراحل السفر في مصر Translation: The number of travelers on the Suez Desert Road in 1846 increased to 2,500 camels and 2,100 travelers, then jumped to more than 3,000 travelers in 1848, travelers with what they encountered on the Suez Desert Road - the most difficult stage of travel (Page 127)[5]
- ^ ازدهار السفر الى السويس فى ظل الادارة المصرية : لم تأل الحكومة جهداً في تحسين وسائل السفر في الطريق البرى فأنشأت على طول طريق السويس الصحراوى محطات شيدت من الطوب ، وزادت من وسائل الراحة فى الفنادق Translation: Travel to Suez flourished under the Egyptian administration: The government spared no effort to improve the means of travel on the land route, establishing along the Suez desert road brick stations and increasing the comforts of hotels (Page 126)[5]
References
- ^ OpenStreetMap contributors (2024-09-20). "Cairo, Suez Road" (Map). OpenStreetMap. OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ Elsawy, Tarek (2023-08-15). "طريق السويس الصحراوى ودوره فى التنمية المستدامة – بحث للدكتورة منى نور الدين" [The Suez Desert Road and its role in sustainable development - Research by Dr. Mona Noureddine]. Arab Roads (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ^ "Vegetation structure and soil characteristics of five common geophytes in desert of Egypt". Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences. 2016.
- ^ "Cairo Traffic Congestion Study. Final report" (PDF). Wold Bank. p. 43. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
- ^ a b Ghallāb, Muḥammad (1966). السويس: بقلم محمد السيد غلاب ... [وآخرين.] (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-09-23.
- ^ Salah, Aya (2016-04-21). "Hassan Allam to hand over Cairo-Suez desert road works next month". Amwal Al Ghad. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
- ^ "إعادة فتح طريق السويس الصحراوى بعد انتهاء أعمال التطوير" [Suez Desert Road reopens after completion of development work]. Akhbar el-Yom (in Arabic). 2018-07-22.
- ^ "New road tolls imposed on residents of New Cairo cities". Egypt Watch. 2020-05-17. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ^ Sallam, E.; Issawi, B.; Osman, R. (2014). "Stratigraphy, facies, and depositional environments of the Paleogene sediments in Cairo–Suez district, Egypt". Arabian Journal of Geosciences: 12.
This basalt is a continuation of the basalt eruptions injected into the Gebel Ahmer Formation near its top, at Gebel Nasuri and Gebel Anqabiya at Cairo–Suez road
- ^ Mohamed Attwa (2018). "Simplified tectonic map of Cairo-Suez District" (Map). Regional structural mapping using a combined geological and geophysical approach e A preliminary study at Cairo-Suez district. Egypt: Journal of African Earth Sciences. p. 105. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2018.04.010.
- ^ Souaya, F. (1963). "On the Calcareous Algae (Melobesioideae) of Gebel Gharra (Cairo-Suez Road) with a Local Zonation and Some Possible Correlations". Journal of Paleontology.
