Soon after the agreement was signed the Company began making plans to carry out its undertaking, placed orders for new equipment required, began to, recruit engineering and supervisory personnel, and prepared bid tenders for various aspects of the work which could be let to Saudi Arab contractors. Engineering work began in April 1963, the heavy earth moving crew started in June 1963, and the first asphalt was applied to the road in February 1964, beginning at Qaisumah. By the end of 1964 asphalt application reached kilometer ZOO, and the entire road is scheduled for completion in early 1967.

The work involves the improvement of an existing road rather than the construction of a new road. and the condition of the existing road, its thickness, its alignment, and the stability of the road material varies from kilometer to kilometer. Therefore. the process of improving and surfacing the road to meet the new specifications at minimum cost must be very carefully planned and controlled. For this reason the Company concluded that it would not be feasible or desirable to attempt to let complete construction contracts for sections of the road. Such contracts could not have been offered for bid until a great deal of time had been spent in detailed engineering design, soils testing, and preparation of specifications. The contractors would have had to provide for substantial contingencies in their bids because of the many uncertainties involved, and the Company would have had to employ a large force of engineers and inspectors to assure that the contractors were meeting specifications. For these reasons the Company concluded that it must control the work by acting as its own prime contractor, with sub-contracts let to Saudi Arab contractors for units of the work which could be measured, such as rock crushing, asphalt and rock haul, etc.

There follows a pictorial story of the work now being carried out under the Tapline Road Improvement Program.