Ministry announces plans for major public works this year

AMMAN — Public Works Minister Sami Halaseh on Saturday said 2017 will see the launch of several major projects in the health, education and sustainable development fields across the Kingdom, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The planned sustainable development project will see construction of a new Amman customs centre in Madouneh, east of Amman.

The JD93 million contract has already been awarded and building will start in a month, the minister told Petra in an interview.

In the health sector, Halaseh said four new hospitals will be built.

Tafileh Hospital will be the first, funded by financial leasing at a cost of JD34 million. With a planned capacity of 150 beds, ground will be broken at the site in two months. 

The second project is the Princess Basma Hospital in Irbid, 80km north of Amman, which will be funded by a Saudi grant of JD55 million, at a capacity of 500 beds.

Halaseh noted that the extension of the Princess Rahma Hospital, also in Irbid, was completed at a cost of JD4 million and funded by USAID.

The third project will be the building of a new emergency department at Al Bashir Hospital, costing JD20 million and also funded by USAID, he said. 

Halaseh added that the fourth project will be in Madaba, 30km southwest of Amman, after directives given by His Majesty King Abdullah during his visit to the governorate last year. 

In the education field, a tender will be floated to build new schools and maintain or extend existing ones, funded by a JD27 million grant from USAID. 

The public works minister said the Azraq-Omari highway project, started in 2014 with a $270 million grant from Saudi Arabia, will be finished by the end of 2017.

Rehabilitation of the desert highway between Queen Alia International Airport intersection and Ras Al Naqab (220km), will start in four months, Halaseh said, adding that the project is funded by $180 million from the Saudi Fund for Development.

The minister noted that the Maan-Mudawarah road, which is highly used by pilgrims, requires refurbishment, expressing hope that Saudi Arabia would provide a grant towards the $100 million cost of rebuilding the road.

The Amman-Irbid Highway is now 27 years old, Halaseh said, and some areas along the road are in risk of unpredictable landslides. 

Work on the Northern Jordan Valley-Waqqas road was delayed because the contractor faced financial difficulties and has been warned twice for falling behind schedule, Halaseh said.  

The ministry is coordinating with the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation to obtain funds to complete the ring roads in Irbid and Salt, he noted.