Airport road expansion project in final stages — Halaseh

AMMAN – Work on the airport road expansion project is in the final stages and the highway is expected to be fully open for motorists before the end of the year, Minister of Public Works and Housing Sami Halaseh said Sunday.

Halaseh told The Jordan Times in a phone interview that the road is almost ready, with only “simple finishing touches” still remaining, such as completing the pedestrian bridges, exits to the parallel services road and planting trees alongside the highway, expected to take six weeks. 

Paving and street lighting for the entire road is completely ready, the minister noted. 

“We can open it for motorists as of tomorrow, but we need to make sure all final touches are implemented as planned,” he noted.

Halaseh said the ministry was committed to planting trees to replace those that were uprooted when the expansion project started around three years ago.   

The overall cost of the six-lane highway is around JD90 million, according to the minister, who added that part of the project was funded through Saudi Arabia’s share in the $5 billion grant extended to Jordan by Gulf Cooperation Council countries in 2011. 

Halaseh said the airport road includes seven pedestrian bridges and tunnels to serve students at private universities located in the area. 

The 22-kilometre expansion project covers the area between the Naour bridge and the exit to Queen Alia International Airport. 

The first stage of the project was a seven-kilometre stretch between the Seventh Circle and the Naour bridge, which was completed in 2004.