Cabinet hears brief on new, smart city project

AMMAN — In a Wednesday session headed by Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh, the Cabinet heard a briefing from Dar Al Handasah on the new city project, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The project aims to accommodate the increasing population, especially in Amman and Zarqa. 

If approved, the new city project will be built in Amman on land owned by the state treasury, with a total area of 277,000 acres, 40 kilometres away from the centre of the capital, 33 kilometres from Queen Alia International Airport and 26 kilometres from Zarqa.

The city will be located in the Jordanian Badia lands, adjacent to two international roads linking Jordan with Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

First proposed in 2017, the project was postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the study presented, the new city project will be built in several phases, the first of which will begin in 2025 and end in 2033, while the last phase is set to conclude in 2050.

The first phase aims to establish a modern, smart city that relies heavily on clean energy and accommodates about 157,000 people.

Once completed, it is estimated that the city will accommodate one million people.

The first phase of the project also includes constructing residential buildings and public facilities, in addition to transferring ministries and public institutions to the same area, except for the Prime Ministry, Parliament and the Judicial Council.

With a cost of JD8 billion, the government will contribute to establishing the city’s infrastructure and basic services therein.

The project also aims to establish a modern transportation network between the proposed city and Amman, Queen Alia International Airport, the land port in Madouna and Zarqa.

The Cabinet referred the study on the new city project to the Economic Development Committee for further discussion and consultation with relevant parties and experts, provided that the committee return a detailed report to the Cabinet within a month.