Only 49 days are left for the inauguration of the new Suez Canal project, the Armed Forces said on Thursday.

Dry digging operations at the main canal line were over after lifting 250 million cubic meters, the army said in a statement.

The statement added that further 70 million cubic meters have been dug to expand el Ballah bypass to become 312 meters wide.

A total of 225 million cubic meters of water-saturated sand have so far been lifted at the project.

The figure represents 87.2 percent of the target of 258 million cubic meters.

About 39 dredgers are operating at the waterway.