The 24.5km Inner Ring Road expected to witness heavy traffic estimated at 120,000 vehicles daily
AMMAN (JT) -- Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit on Thursday inaugurated the Abdoun Suspension Bridge, the Abdoun Circle Tunnel and the Fourth Circle Intersection, all major links in the Inner Ring Road scheme, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
The premier said the achievements signal the start of a "new generation of projects designed to facilitate traffic and render the human environment of Amman more habitable."
Amman Mayor Omar Maani said the new facilities are part of a strategic infrastructure plan aimed at improving the quality of life in the capital, and setting Amman as a model of modernisation to be followed by other cities.
Maani was quoting directives by His Majesty King Abdullah, who in May entrusted the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) with drawing up a "serious and comprehensive" project of city planning for the capital -- serving as a template and example that can be replicated and evolved in other cities.
In a letter to Maani, the Monarch said the plan should ensure respect for Amman's unique qualities and traditions and account for the needs of its inhabitants, while at the same time forecasting for its growth in a well-studied and well-planned manner.
The main objective of the suspension bridge, starting at the Fourth Circle and extending over Wadi Abdoun to Abdoun Circle, is 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, according to a GAM official.
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.
The bridge, along with the two other projects opened Thursday, completes the 24.5km Inner Ring Road, which is expected to witness heavy traffic with estimated at 120,000 vehicles daily, a GAM study said.
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. The Yasmine Bridge, which is not complete yet, 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.
© Jordan Times 2006
