AMMAN -- Construction on the Inner Ring Road projects, including the Abdoun Suspension Bridge, the Abdoun Circle Tunnel and the Fourth Circle Intersection, is almost complete, a Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) official said on Saturday.
The suspension bridge, starting at the Fourth Circle and extending over Wadi Abdoun to Abdoun Circle, will be opened for traffic on December 15, the GAM's Media Office Director Taha Abu Ridden told The Jordan Times.
"The bridge's main objectives are to ease the movement of the increasing amount of traffic in the capital and shorten the distance between vital areas in the capital by 75 per cent," he said.
The bridge, constructed at a cost of JD12 million, measures 425 metres in length, while its height from the lowest point in the valley is 45 metres.
The groundbreaking suspension bridge is the first of its kind, not only in the region, but also in the world; most bridges are designed in a straight line, whereas the Abdoun Suspension Bridge is curved, adding an aesthetic touch to Amman's urban landscape, Abu Ridden said.
The bridge is the last in a series of architectural projects that will complete the 24.5km Inner Ring Road, which is expected to witness heavy traffic with an estimated 120,000 vehicles using it daily, according to a GAM study.
There are currently 710,000 vehicles in the country, official figures show, with an approximate ratio of one vehicle for every 7.7 citizens.
The same study estimates the annual increase in the number of cars at 16 per cent.
The Ring Road extends from the Abdoun Circle Tunnel under Abdoun Circle to Prince Hashem Street, which links the Abdoun and Yasmine neighbourhoods near the Policewomen's College. From there it connects to the Al Quds-Prince Hashem and Al Quds-Abu Huraira intersections.
The two intersections are linked by a 400-metre tunnel and a one-lane overpass that extends to Abu Huraira Street, which in turn leads to Al Sharq Al Awsat intersection in Wihdat.
Meanwhile, the four-lane, 750-metre Abdoun Circle Tunnel starts at the southern tip of the Abdoun Suspension Bridge and ends at the Damascus Street-Prince Hashem Street intersection.
By Hana Namroqa
© Jordan Times 2006
