Which Saudi Arabian highway connects Riyadh to Jeddah?

Saudi Arabia’s Highway 40 connects Riyadh with Jeddah.

Highway 40 is a major east–west controlled-access route crossing the Arabian Peninsula. It links Jeddah on the Red Sea coast with Dammam in the Eastern Province, passing through or near Mecca, Ta’if, and Riyadh. Thus, the Riyadh–Jeddah connection is an important central section of the longer Jeddah–Dammam corridor.

The route’s development followed Saudi Arabia’s need to connect the capital with the oil-producing east and with the western cities and Islamic holy sites. The Riyadh–Dammam section was completed in 1961, and the Riyadh–Jeddah section followed in 1965. After later modernization, the standardized Highway 40 designation was commissioned in 1986.

Highway 15 is a different major north–south route, while Highways 10 and 85 serve other parts of the national network. Highway 40 is often described as Saudi Arabia’s coast-to-coast highway because it links Jeddah and Dammam across the country via Riyadh.