Irbid municipality to spend JD12m on revamping streets

AMMAN — The Greater Irbid Municipality plans to spend millions of dinars to revamp the city’s streets as some residents are “disappointed with the poor maintenance”. 

Irbid Mayor Hussein Bani Hani told The Jordan Times Tuesday that around JD12 million was budgeted to fix the northern city’s streets this year, adding that three workshops have already started in downtown Irbid and the western parts of the city, some 80km north of Amman. 

Tenders for major streets will be floated soon to pave them and fix cracks and potholes, particularly Amman Street, which links the city’s southern and northern parts, Bani Hani said, while areas near Yarmouk University will also undergo maintenance soon.

Motorists in the city say streets are in urgent need of maintenance as they have been neglected for years. 

In remarks to The Jordan Times recently and in comments and posts on social media, some residents criticised the municipality for being slow in fixing streets. 

“Where I live, you have to drive carefully because potholes are everywhere,” said Mohammad Moghrabi, who is a resident of Hakama neighbourhood in the northern part of Irbid.

Irbid is Jordan’s second largest city, and it should have decent roads, said Shadi Taamneh, who called for better infrastructure that should include roads, sidewalks and drainage systems.  

Alaa Edin Zoubi wrote on Facebook that he is considering selling his car, having grown tired of taking it frequently to the mechanic because of the streets, which he claims are in a bad shape. 

Fathi Abu Zaitoun also wrote that he spends “a fair share of his time” at the industrial city in Irbid, where auto technicians offer services.

“My car always breaks down because of potholes in the streets,” he added. 

“Driving on Irbid streets is like driving on bumpy roads,” Maen Abu Salman commented on Facebook. 

But Bani Hani had a message to the criticising residents.  

“Go around the city and take a look at the continuous workshops to fix the streets. It is not fair to ignore the efforts the municipality is doing,” he said in a phone interview. 

“However, all streets will be paved and fixed before summer,” the mayor added, insisting that the funds the municipality will be spending on upgrading streets will be the highest in the history of the city. 

Bani Hani also said the circles in the majority of streets will undergo a facelift as the municipality is working to beautify the city.