Keypoints:
- $4bn bridge to span Red Sea between Egypt and Saudi Arabia
- Project to boost trade, tourism and pilgrimage
- Planning complete, construction poised to start
A MONUMENTAL infrastructure project is set to transform regional connectivity as Saudi Arabia and Egypt prepare to begin construction on the long-anticipated Moses Bridge, a $4bn link between Africa and Asia across the Red Sea.
As reported by the UK The Sun newspaper, planning has now been completed for the megaproject, which will span the Strait of Tiran from Ras Hamid in northwestern Saudi Arabia to Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh. The bridge will be fully financed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Planning complete, construction imminent
Originally proposed in 2016 by Saudi King Salman, the bridge has now cleared its technical planning phase, according to Egypt’s Minister of Transport, Kamel al-Wazir.
‘We have now completed the planning for the bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia and are ready to implement it at any time — whether as a bridge or a tunnel,’ al-Wazir said last week.
The final design — either a bridge or a hybrid structure with tunnels — will depend on strategic assessments, including maritime traffic and environmental considerations.
Boost for trade, tourism, and pilgrimage
Beyond linking continents, the Moses Bridge is set to play a transformative role in regional trade, logistics, and religious tourism. It is expected to significantly reduce travel times and offer a vital land link for goods and passengers between Africa and the Gulf region.
The structure will also provide a major new corridor for Muslim pilgrims travelling to Mecca, easing pressure on air and sea routes. It could serve more than one million pilgrims annually, especially from East and North Africa.
Currently, maritime transport between Egypt and Saudi Arabia is handled by the Arab Bridge Maritime Company, which operates 13 vessels. The new crossing will offer a faster, more efficient alternative.
A link to NEOM and the future
Strategically, the Moses Bridge will enhance the connectivity of Saudi Arabia’s NEOM development — the futuristic $500bn city being built along the Kingdom’s northwestern coastline.
The project is intended to anchor the region’s vision for a high-tech, globally integrated economic zone. While NEOM has faced delays and human rights criticism, the Moses Bridge is being framed as a more immediately tangible and symbolic undertaking.
A project decades in the making
Plans for a Red Sea bridge have existed since the late 1980s, but were repeatedly shelved due to geopolitical sensitivities. It wasn’t until King Salman’s 2016 visit to Cairo that the idea was revived and formally proposed.
At the time, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi recommended naming the bridge after the Saudi monarch. However, the structure has since gained popular traction as the Moses Bridge — a nod to the biblical Exodus route believed to have passed through the same region.
This blend of history, symbolism and strategic ambition has turned the Moses Bridge into more than just a transport link. It now represents a bold step toward greater regional integration and a physical reminder of the deepening ties between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
With planning complete and construction set to begin, the Moses Bridge promises to become one of the most iconic engineering feats in the Middle East — and a literal bridge between continents.
