PM inaugurates Amman Development Corridor

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Wednesday inaugurated the first part of the Amman Development Corridor, which completes the second and third parts inaugurated over the past years.

The corridor is part of the 120-kilometre Amman Ring Road, which links the Airport Road with the Syrian border and Yajouz.

The corridor is aimed at easing traffic congestion in the Amman and Zarqa governorates, reducing traffic accidents and improving the environmental situation in the two governorates.

Public Works and Housing Minister Sami Halaseh said the road’s first section is vital for traffic flow as it connects the Desert Highway with Sahab road, which leads to the Saudi and Iraqi borders as well as the Zarqa Free Trade Zone and the Syrian border, helping vehicles avoid entering the city of Amman.

The minister noted that the 18-kilometre first section was implemented at a cost of $160 million, including a grant from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) worth around $60 million, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

For his part, ADFD Director General Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi commended the relations between Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

“The project is a result of constructive cooperation between the Jordanian government and ADFD to implement strategic projects to realise development and enhance the competitiveness of the Jordanian economy,” Suwaidi said.

Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury, and UAE Ambassador to Jordan Bilal Al Budoor also attended the inauguration ceremony. 

COPRI Construction Enterprises CEO Abdullah Khudair said the Abu Dhabi-based company implemented the Amman Corridor project in cooperation with a Jordanian contractor, Petra reported.