Saudi Arabia is planning a 11km $534m (SAR2bn) road tunnel from Makkah to Taif, which became the country’s longest road tunnel.

The tunnel will extend from Khalidiya in Taif to Al Kar and connect with the Makkah-Taif Expressway, reducing the travel time between the two cities to 20 minutes.

The project involves building two 14m wide by 8.7m high parallel tunnels, with three lanes each, one for upward traffic to Taif and the other for downward traffic to Makkah.

The project also includes installing an advanced centrally-monitored safety system with emergency control and safety control systems.

Construction is expected to finish within three years.