New work to begin on Sahafa Tunnel for BRT — GAM

AMMAN — Plans are under way to start the construction of the Sahafa (Press) Tunnel section of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) said on Saturday, after a tender was floated for the project, aimed at enhancing public transportation in the capital.

Riyad Kharabsheh, head of the BRT project at the municipality, said GAM is currently finalising measures for the Sahafa Tunnel, located on Queen Rania (University) Street, adding that construction of the BRT lane within the tunnel will begin in two months.

After construction of the Sahafa Tunnel is finished, work will focus on “the Sports City Circle and the Sweileh terminal, through high levels of cooperation between GAM and the ministries of Public Works and Transportation”, Kharabsheh told The Jordan Times.

The plan requires the authorities to handle the Amman-Zarqa BRT and the Amman project, he said, adding that the Mahatta Terminal will serve as the main station for the Ain Ghazal-Tareq link and Zarqa’s routes. 

In late December, GAM’s deputy city manager for public works Ahmad Malkawi said the French Agency for Development provided Jordan with a JD40 million loan for the BRT, in order to resume the project, which had been on hold since 2013.

The loan required the phased implementation of the project, he said, noting that GAM started with the Dawriyyat (highway patrol) traffic lights in October 2016, which is expected to be finished by April this year. 

The BRT will have a capacity of 120 passengers per bus, serving almost 25km of Amman’s streets, according to GAM officials.

Malkawi previously said the transport system will benefit Amman’s residents for at least the next 20 years, as it will include routes from crowded areas across the capital, such as Queen Rania Street, Sweileh, Sports City and the 5th Circle.

Other areas to be covered by the project are Al Shaheed Street, Istiqlal Street, King Abdullah II Park, Shmeisani, Prince Hamzah Street and Al Mahatta district in eastern Amman, which will link both parts of the capital, he added.

“The most important part of this project is that it combines continuous efforts and high levels of focus, especially by GAM’s city manager, who is directly in charge of the project, in cooperation with the ministers of transportation and public works,” Kharabsheh added. 

The final stage of implementation in Amman is expected to be by the end of 2018 and the start of 2019, he said.