Construction project at Jordan's King Hussein Bridge ‘national priority’

PHOTO

AMMAN — The construction project at the King Hussein Bridge, which involves new buildings the allocation of cargo and passenger yards, is a national priority, Minister of Public Works and Housing Yahya Kisbi said on Thursday.

Speaking during a meeting of the project's steering committee, Kisbi said that the government has assigned the project an “urgent” status to be implemented as soon as possible as per Royal directives.

The project would improve services for Palestinians travelling across the bridge, he said, adding that the project would boost the Jordanian and Palestinian economies.

Located 2 kilometres west of the existing buildings, the new project has an estimated area of 2,000 dunums to meet the future demands stemming from the growing number of travellers and cargo volume, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Aimed to facilitate passengers’ movements between Jordan and the West Bank, the project will include facilities dedicated for passengers, as well as yards and buildings for cargo, waiting rooms, security checkpoints, shopping centres and parking.

Separating passenger traffic from freight, the project will enhance trade exchange between both sides, cutting waiting time. The new project will serve some 4 million passengers and an estimated 180,000 trucks will use the new facilities each year during the first phase.