‘New pedestrian overpasses in Amman to cost JD300,000’

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality is working on the construction of seven pedestrian bridges in the capital in 2015, aiming at ensuring public safety, a GAM official said on Tuesday. 

Anwar Manasrah, the head of GAM’s pavements department, said the municipality floated two tenders to build cement and metal bridges at a cost of JD300,000. 

“We are constructing cement and metal bridges. We already built two cement bridges, which brings to 98 the total number of bridges in the capital so far,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

Manasrah noted that municipality teams work on the overpasses from 3am until noon on Fridays when there is less traffic on the roads.

“A committee for pedestrian overpasses holds meetings to discuss which locations in Amman need such bridges depending on the ratio of car accidents and whether they have been fatal, in addition to the percentage of pedestrians in that area,” he explained.

Also, GAM builds fences beneath the bridges so that pedestrians cannot cross the street by jaywalking, Manasrah noted.  

Stressing that the depressions witnessed in the Kingdom in winter did not have a negative impact on the structure of overpasses in the capital, he added that only 10 bridges were affected by truck accidents in 2014 and 2015.

GAM also plans to build new pavements, according to the municipal official.

“We will use good-quality flagstone and plant trees that will not prevent pedestrians from using the sidewalk. We will be building these sidewalks in the Zahran and Abdali areas.”

Manasrah called for stiffening penalties against people who plant unsuitable trees in pavements or use them to park their cars.

“Motorists who park their cars on the sidewalk are only fined JD15. We urge the public to cooperate with us so that everyone benefits from these pavements.”