Traffic at Sports City Circle to be ‘minimally impacted’ by BRT construction

AMMAN — Traffic flow on the Sports City Circle will not be shut down during the construction of two overpasses and a transfer station as part of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, a municipal official said on Sunday.

The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has set up a traffic plan to ensure that the construction phase of the project on the Sports City Circle leaves minimum impact on traffic flow, BRT Project Director Riyad Kharabsheh said.

“The plan entails providing road users with different options to reach their destination, while obliging the contractor implementing the Sports City Circle phase to avoid shutting down traffic flow,” Kharabsheh told the Jordan Times.

Four traffic lights have already been installed for this purpose, Kharabsheh said, noting that they aim at regulating traffic during the ongoing construction phase.

“Construction on the Sports City Circle has already been underway for the past two months. It is not determined yet when the traffic lights and detours will be activated; it depends on work progress,” the official added.

Under the BRT project, two overpasses will be established above the Sports City Circle, which currently features a two-way bridge and a tunnel, according to Kharabsheh, who indicated that the overpasses will be constructed while maintaining the existing circle, tunnel and bridge.

The first overpass will be dedicated to the traffic coming from Queen Rania Street towards the Martyr’s Memorial, while the second overpass will be built for traffic coming from Jamal Abdul Nasser Square (Interior Circle) towards Shmeisani, he continued.

The GAM considers the stage of work on the Sports City Circle as one of the main pillars of the BRT project, as the intersection above the circle will link the project’s two phases, including Sweileh station and the phase that starts at the Sports City Circle and ends at Ras Al Ain.

Meanwhile, construction of an overpass at the Sahafeh Tunnel on Queen Rania Street has been completed and will be officially opened to traffic today, according to a second source at the municipality.

The BRT project is part of the municipality’s solution to ease traffic congestion, according to the GAM, which is also exploring the idea of an underground railway system.

The BRT project will have a capacity of 120 passengers per bus, serving almost 25km of Amman’s streets, according to GAM officials, who said the transport system should benefit Amman’s residents for at least the next 20 years.

Construction of the project started in 2010, but was halted and delayed several times due to technical reasons. The project is scheduled to be operational by 2019 at the latest, according to the GAM.