In May 2008, soil testing in the area cast doubt over whether the proposed location could support a skyscraper of the proposed one mile height, and MEED reported that the project had been scaled back, making it "up to 500 metres (1,640 ft) shorter."[43]
Reports in 2009 suggested that the project had been put on hold due to the Global financial crisis of 2008–2009 and that Bechtel (the former engineering firm) was "in the process of ending its involvement with the project."[44][45] Kingdom Holding Company quickly criticized the news reports, insisting that the project had not been shelved.[46]