Highway 613 | |
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Dhahran–Jubail Highway | |
Highway system | |
Transport in Saudi Arabia |
Highway 613, also known as the Dhahran–Jubail Highway, is an important highway located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. It connects Dhahran in the south and Jubail in the north, Saudi Arabia's largest industrial cities, crossing the cities between which are Dammam, Saihat, Qatif, Safwa City and nearby Ras Tanura. The distance to Persian Gulf from the highway varies from 2 to 14 kilometers, with 2 roads connecting it with King Fahd International Airport which is 15 kilometers to the west. The speed limit is 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph) and the highway suffers from traffic jams most of the time.
The region this highway serves has a total population of approximately 2.5 million. The significance of the region lies on the existence of three cities; Dhahran being a major oil administration center, Jubail being a major operations center for petrochemical industry, and Ras Tanura which is a major oil refining and shipping port.
The highway is now 165 kilometers (103 mi) long (previously 100 km) since it was extended further to the north serving the new industrial areas north of Jubail such as Khurasaniyah and Ras Al-Khair, it has 3 lanes and 2 shoulders for each of the two sides (a current project is undergoing to add 4th lane for each direction), a 3-lane service road is available only for the 38 kilometers (24 mi) part that crosses Dammam and Qatif.