GAM assures Nayfeh residents pedestrian bridge will be ready next Friday

AMMAN – Many residents of the Nayfeh neighbourhood in Amman’s Hashemi Shamali District on Thursday criticised what they described as “the slow working process” of constructing a pedestrian bridge in their area, creating danger for students crossing the street to reach their school.

The area’s residents interviewed by The Jordan Times said they waited for months to have the bridge built in their area, calling on the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) to quickly complete construction to ensure the safety of students heading to Nayfeh School. 

Rimah Qadoumi, the school’s principal, said the situation is dangerous for the school’s 2,400 students, as they have to cross the street to reach their school. 

“Many car accidents have happened in this area, so we hope that the bridge will be finished quickly,” she told The Jordan Times. 

Mohammad Hajjaj, who has seven grandchildren studying at the school, said many people volunteered to help the students cross the street. 

Amjad Attar, director of GAM’s construction department, said there was no delay in the construction process  

“Everything is going according to the plan, though we did face some obstacles such as electricity problems, while the Eid holiday interrupted work. The bridge will be completed by next Friday [October 9],” he told The Jordan Times. 

Mohammad Abbadi, another resident in the area, called on GAM to construct a shelter covering the bridge in order to protect the privacy of many families as the bridge overlooks their houses. 

Attar said the bridge will not be covered, but it will have a 1.8-metre-high railing so that the privacy of the houses below will be maintained. 

Attar also mentioned that this pedestrian bridge will be the last one constructed this year. 

“We have built seven bridges that have cost JD300,000 in total and rehabilitated five bridges at a cost of JD150,000,” he added.