'Local company to begin work on lane for BRT second phase'

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has awarded a tender to a local construction company to start working on the second phase of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, a source at the municipality told The Jordan Times on Thursday. 

The second phase of the project will cost around JD8.147 million, according to a GAM statement sent to The Jordan Times. 

The tender entails constructing a four-kilometre route that extends from Prince Basma Street in Muhajereen area in east Amman to Ali Bin Abi Taleb Street in downtown's Ras Al Ain area, according to the statement.

The BRT — implementation of which began in 2010, but witnessed several hiccups due to corruption allegations and questions of feasibility — entails operating high-capacity buses on exclusive and segregated lanes that can carry more than 120 passengers and will run on a three-minute frequency during peak hours.

The lane for the first route of the bus, extending from Sweileh to downtown Amman through the Sports City Intersection has been partially completed.

In a separate development, the municipality source said the latest snowstorm cost GAM JD292,000. 

"A total of 240 vehicles operated during the snowstorm. Also, 4,000 GAM employees worked during the blizzard, including engineers and sanitation workers," he added.