Prime Minister inaugurates desert road after project completion

AMMAN — Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh on Wednesday inaugurated part of the Desert Road extending over 17 kilometres between Naqab and Humaimah in Maan and Aqaba as part of his field visits nationwide.

Khasawneh said that the completion of the project, which included rehabilitating the road with a total cost of JD24 million, will contribute to serving economical and developmental domains, stating that the highway serves key sectors like transportation and tourism, and enhances the connection between the governorates and Aqaba Port. 

He said that opening the project is within the framework of commitments made by the government to provide the best services for citizens as per the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah and HRH Crown Prince Hussein, according to a Prime Ministry statement. 

In the same statement, Khasawneh remarks that this project is unfortunately coinciding with the tragic road accident in Salhoub that claimed the lives of several students, affirming that the stakeholders should pay more attention to all possible factors of traffic.

He also called for sustaining the maintenance of the Desert Road, and all other streets across the Kingdom, to ensure quality and safety on this crucial international highway that serves the citizens, economy and mining areas in the southern region of the Kingdom, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

He praised the efforts of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing and all personnel that completed the project within the set time period. 

Khasawneh also listened to a briefing by Minister of Public Works Maher Abul Samen regarding the rehabilitation and developments made to the road, which included increasing the number of lanes and expanding them, in addition to providing all elements of traffic safety. 

President of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority Nayef Fayez and Aqaba Governor Khaled Hajjaj attended the opening ceremony of the project.