Massive Road Closures in Riyadh

Plan for major delays across the capital

In his first official foreign visit since starting his second term as U.S. President, Donald Trump is scheduled to arrive in Riyadh on Monday, May 12. The trip marks a high-stakes diplomatic mission, drawing an entourage of global business leaders and triggering widespread road closures and security measures across the Saudi capital.

Global Business Titans Arriving for Investment Forum

The presidential visit coincides with a newly announced Saudi-U.S. investment forum, set to take place in Riyadh on Tuesday, May 13. The event will welcome an elite list of executives and advisors including:

• Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock
• Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir
• Top-level representatives from Citigroup, IBM, Qualcomm, Alphabet, and Franklin Templeton
• White House AI and crypto advisor David Sacks

The forum underscores growing interest in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reforms, and the Kingdom’s strategic position in global investment, tech, and AI.

Widespread Road Closures in Riyadh

To accommodate the high-level visit, Riyadh’s traffic authorities under instructions from national security will implement intermittent closures of main and secondary roads beginning Monday, May 12.

Roads Affected:

• King Salman Road (east–west) and surrounding streets (partial/full closures)
• King Khalid Road (north–south)
• King Fahd Road, specifically the section north to south from Khurais Road
• Areas around the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center

• Roads to/from:
  • The Ritz-Carlton Hotel
  • At-Turaif Historic District
  • Al-Yamamah Palace
  • The Royal Court
  • Guest Palaces

• West Riyadh, including:
  • The Diplomatic Quarter (DQ)
  • Diriyah
  • Entry and exit points on surrounding highways

Security presence will be significantly heightened, and road access may change without prior notice.

School & Public Closures

To minimize congestion, the government has announced temporary adjustments for schools and public spaces:

• All schools will shift to online learning on Tuesday, May 13 and Wednesday, May 14
• The British International School Riyadh (DQ campus) will be completely closed on both days
• At-Turaif, Bujairi Terrace, and Zallal in Diriyah will remain fully closed until Wednesday, May 14

Closure Timings & Traffic Impact

Date	Time	Expected Closure Rate
Monday, May 12	6:00 PM – Midnight	70% to 80% intermittently
Tuesday, May 13	8:00 AM – 11:00 AM 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM	70% to 80% intermittently
Wednesday, May 14	6:00 AM – 6:00 PM	70% to 80% intermittently

Recommendation

Riyadh residents are strongly advised to avoid central roads and high-security zones especially the Diplomatic Quarter (DQ) during the visit. Real-time updates may be issued by traffic authorities or local media.

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