Lawyers plan to sue public works minister over 'deteriorating condition' of desert road

AMMAN — A group of lawyers are planning to sue Public Works and Housing Minister Sami Halaseh over the condition of the desert road, the main route connecting the capital to the southern region.

Extending from Amman to Aqaba through Karak, Tafileh and Maan, the road has witnessed deadly car accidents over the past years.

"The desert road claims tens of lives a year and there is an obvious negligence on the part of the Public Works Ministry," Lawyer Ibrahim Majali, who is arranging the lawsuit, charged in a phone interview with The Jordan Times on Sunday.

"One should think twice before deciding to take that road. Every 10 metres there is a hole and the cracks alone are enough to damage the vehicles," Majali said.

The public works minister was unavailable for comment, but the Cabinet has approved a project to renovate the desert highway.

In previous remarks, Halaseh noted that the project is funded by the Saudi Fund for Development at a total cost of $170 million, divided into a $65 million grant signed last November and a $105 million soft loan.

The agreement entails a complete rebuilding of the 220km road, which runs from the Queen Alia International Airport intersection to Maan Governorate.

Work will be carried out over six stages, each covering around 30 to 35km of the road, over a total duration of 18 months, according to the minister.

However, Majali said the "project would take years", saying that the "ministry should have at least taken measures to deal with the cracks and rehabilitated the road to reduce daily accidents".

"The lawsuit will be filed soon against Halaseh in his capacity as minister," he added.