Highway 65 () is a major north–south
controlled-access highway in central
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, spanning 1,427 km (887 mi). Popularly known as the Riyadh–Qassim Expressway, Highway 65 connects
Howtat Bani Tamim to
Qurayyat and further to the
Al Hadithah border with
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
, while providing connections to or passing through
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...
,
Majma'ah,
al-Ghat
Al-Ghat (Arabic: El-Gh'at الغاط') or Elghat "Alghat" is a small town in Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. It is located by road northwest of Riyadh. As of the 2016 census it had a population of 16500 people.
A joint Saudi-Belgian Mission (2 ...
,
Zulfi
Az Zulfi (also Zulfi, Zulfy City or Al Zulfi or Az Zilfi) is a city in Riyadh Province in central Saudi Arabia, about 260 kilometres northwest of Riyadh. It is connected by Roads 418 and 535 which both link with the main Highway 65 (Saudi Arabia) ...
,
Buraidah
Buraidah ( ar, بريدة ') is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Region in north-central Saudi Arabia in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. Buraydah lies equidistant from the Red Sea to the west and Persian Gulf to the east. Its known fo ...
,
'Unaizah,
ar-Rass,
Ha'il,
Daumat al-Jandal,
Sakakah
Sakākā () is a city in northwestern Saudi Arabia which is the capital of Al Jawf Province. It is located just to the north of the An Nafud desert. Sakakah had a population of 242,813 at the 2010 census.
History
Sakakah is an oasis town on an ...
and other smaller villages and towns. It also provides access to the Naisiyah Wildlife Reserve, Khanafah Wildlife Sanctuary, Tubaiq Natural Reserve, and the Harrat al-Harrah Conservation.
![Kingdom Tower at night](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Kingdom_Tower_at_night.JPG)
The highway consists of three
traffic lanes with a
shoulder
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder mak ...
on each side separated by a
median strip
The median strip, central reservation, roadway median, or traffic median is the reserved area that separates opposing lanes of traffic on divided roadways such as divided highways, dual carriageways, freeways, and motorways. The term also a ...
. All intersections on the highway are
grade separated
In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights (grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tra ...
, largely
cloverleaf interchanges with some other types of interchanges used for U-turns or desert access roads. The highway has no bridges and tunnels as it traverses the relatively flat
Najd plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...
and
Nafud desert. The road is operated by the
Saudi Ministry of Transport and is not tolled.
In conjunction with the Kingdom's five-year plans, the
Saudi Ministry of Transport prepared its own comprehensive plan, known as the Five-Year Road Programme. The first of these began in 1970 and the system is still implemented today. The Kharj–Qassim was the first portion of the highway to built and was modernized during the Third Development Plan (1980–85). The rest of the highway began construction much later, in the Seventh Development Plan (2000–05) and completed in the Eighth Development Plan (2005–10). The road was also commissioned much later than most Saudi highways.
Route description
Highway 65 () is a major
controlled-access highway in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, and runs in the north–south direction. Starting at
Howtat Bani Tamim south of
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...
, the highway runs in the southeast–northwest direction and ends at the
Al Hadithah/Omari border with
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
near
Qurayyat. It spans 1,427 km (887 mi) and travels through the following provinces: the
Riyadh Province
The Riyadh Province ( ar, منطقة الرياض '), also known as the Riyadh Region, is a regions of Saudi Arabia, region of Saudi Arabia, located in the geographic center of the country. It has an area of and with a 2017 population of 8,216 ...
,
Qassim Province,
Ha'il Province and the
Al Jawf Province. Highway 65 is connected to the following cities: Kharj via Highway 10, Riyadh,
Majma'ah, Buraidah,
Unaizah
Unaizah ( ar, عنيزة ) or officially The Governorate of Unaizah (also spelled Onaizah, Onizah, or Unayzah; ar, محافظة عنيزة ) is a Saudi Arabian city in the Al Qassim Province. It lies south of the province capital Buraydah and ...
,
Sakakah
Sakākā () is a city in northwestern Saudi Arabia which is the capital of Al Jawf Province. It is located just to the north of the An Nafud desert. Sakakah had a population of 242,813 at the 2010 census.
History
Sakakah is an oasis town on an ...
via Highway 80 and Qurayyat. It is also part of the
Arab Mashreq International Road Network and carries Route 35M
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...
–
Buraidah
Buraidah ( ar, بريدة ') is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Region in north-central Saudi Arabia in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. Buraydah lies equidistant from the Red Sea to the west and Persian Gulf to the east. Its known fo ...
–
Ha'il–
Sakakah
Sakākā () is a city in northwestern Saudi Arabia which is the capital of Al Jawf Province. It is located just to the north of the An Nafud desert. Sakakah had a population of 242,813 at the 2010 census.
History
Sakakah is an oasis town on an ...
–
Al Hadithah/Omari–
Azraq– Amman through the central
Arabian Peninsula.
With minor exceptions, the highway consists of three
traffic lanes, with one
emergency lane on each side, separated by a
median strip
The median strip, central reservation, roadway median, or traffic median is the reserved area that separates opposing lanes of traffic on divided roadways such as divided highways, dual carriageways, freeways, and motorways. The term also a ...
and
fence
A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its whole length.
...
. All intersections on the highway are
grade-separated; predominantly
cloverleaf interchanges. There are numerous
rest area
A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway serv ...
s along the highway, with some being limited to the most basic of amenities featuring a petrol station and
cafe
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...
, with others including restaurants, hotels and fast-food outlets. Almost all have a
masjid, with recent regulations declaring the travel time between rest areas be no longer than 60 minutes.
The highway begins east of
Howtat Bani Tamim, at the intersection of the Al Ha'ir–Howtat Bani Tamim Road and Highway 10. It travels north passing Wadi Mawan, and intersects Road 5399 just south of Al Ha'ir. Continuing north, it reaches Riyadh and intersects the Southern Ring Road near the ''al-Masani district. It turns west and is carried by the Southern Ring Road to Exit 23 (Algiers Square), where it turns north again and passes through the center of Riyadh as King Fahd Road. Here it intersects
Highway 40 at one of the most important intersections in the Kingdom, Exit 4 (Rabat Square). It exits Riyadh near Banban and gently turns northwest, passing
Sudair
Sudair or Sudayr ( ar, سدير) is a historical region in Najd in the central of Saudi Arabia, and is located approximately 150 km north of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The region lies in a valley directly to the east of the Tweig escarpment, ...
,
Al Majma'ah
Al Majma'ah ( ar, المجمعة) is a city and a governorate in Ar Riyad Province, Saudi Arabia. It is located at around , and it is the capital of the Sudair region. The city has an area of 30,000 square kilometres. The population of the town is ...
and
Al Ghat. After passing Al Ghat, Highway 65 turns west and intersects Highway 60, and these highways run concurrently to
Buraidah
Buraidah ( ar, بريدة ') is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Region in north-central Saudi Arabia in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. Buraydah lies equidistant from the Red Sea to the west and Persian Gulf to the east. Its known fo ...
, where Highway 65 turns back north while Highway 60 continues west toward
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...
and
Yanbu
Yanbu ( ar, ينبع, lit=Spring, translit=Yanbu'), also known simply as Yambu or Yenbo, is a city in the Al Madinah Province of western Saudi Arabia. It is approximately 300 kilometers northwest of Jeddah (at ). The population is 222,360 (2 ...
. Highway 65 continues north into the
Ha'il Province, passing north of
Ha'il and enters the
Nafud desert. Continuing into the
Al Jouf Province, it intersects Highway 80 near
Sakakah
Sakākā () is a city in northwestern Saudi Arabia which is the capital of Al Jawf Province. It is located just to the north of the An Nafud desert. Sakakah had a population of 242,813 at the 2010 census.
History
Sakakah is an oasis town on an ...
and runs concurrently with it westward, splitting near Abu 'Ajram where Highway 80 continues west toward
Tabuk while Highway 65 turns north toward
Qurayyat, terminating at the
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
ian border at
Al Hadithah/Omari, where it becomes Jordanian
Highway 30.
History
See also
*
Transport in Saudi Arabia
Transport in Saudi Arabia is facilitated through a relatively young system of roads, railways and seaways. Most of the network started construction after the discovery of oil in the Eastern Province in 1952, with the notable exception of Hig ...
References
{{Reflist
Roads in Saudi Arabia
Riyadh Province
Road infrastructure in Saudi Arabia
Road transport in Saudi Arabia