Construction of Sahafa Tunnel overpass in Jordan reaches 40%

AMMAN — Forty per cent of the construction of the Sahafa (Press) Tunnel overpass of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has been accomplished, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Saturday.

The section, which is the fourth phase of the BRT, will cost JD5.489 million, according to Petra.

During a visit to check on the work progress, Riyad Kharabsheh, head of the BRT project, told Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh that the work of the overpass will be completed by the end of May and the tunnel will be reopened for traffic, while construction works will continue above it.

Once the construction of the overpass is completed, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) will start building the passenger service stations.

The multimillion-dinar project, launched by GAM in 2009, before it was halted in 2011, entails operating premium, high-capacity buses that can carry more than 120 passengers per bus and which are expected to run every three minutes during peak hours on segregated lanes along Amman’s busiest roads.

Shawarbeh noted that more traffic projects are in the pipeline to be implemented in Amman next year in cooperation with the Public Works and Housing Ministry including three main intersections, according to Petra.