An important highway located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. It connects Dhahran in the south and Jubail in the north 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 120km/h (75 mph), the highway is very high traffic most of the time.
The region this highway serves has a total population of approximately 2 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 100 kilometers (62 mi) long, it has 3 lanes and 2 shoulders for each of the two sides, a 3-lane service road is available only for the 38 kilometers part that crosses Dammam and Qatif. Lighting service was recently installed for the whole highway.