PM checks progress of Irbid Ring Road project, Special Needs Care Centre

AMMAN — In implementation of His Majesty King Abdullah's directives, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Bisher Al Khasawneh on Saturday, in the presence of Royal Court Chief Yousef Issawi and a number of ministers, checked on the progress of the second and third phases of the Irbid Ring Road project.

Briefing Khasawneh, Minister of Public Works and Housing Yahya Kisbi highlighted the importance of the highway project to mitigate the traffic congestion in Irbid, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The prime minister instructed the concerned authorities to provide the necessary funding to begin the implementation of the Irbid Ring Road's second phase, with a length of 12 kilometres, slated to begin before summer and then carry out the highway's third phase according to a scheduled time frame.

In addition, Khasawneh said that the government is working, in implementation of Royal directives, to expedite the completion of projects that reflect and facilitate citizens' lives.

With a total length of 53 kilometres, the Irbid Ring Road's first phase is 18 kilometres long. Studies and engineering designs are ready to begin implementing the second phase with a 12-kilometre-long road that serves west Irbid's villages, while the third is a 23-kilometre-long road that will serve Irbid’s eastern areas. 

While in Irbid, Khasawneh also checked on the services provided by the Special Needs Care Centre, run by the Sahel Houran Development Association in the Ramtha District.

Minister of Social Development Ayman Mufleh and the centre's directors briefed Khasawneh on the facility's services for people with disabilities. The premier stressed the government's keenness to support people with disabilities in Jordan. 

Meanwhile, Issawi announced a Royal donation to rehabilitate the care centre and provide it with the necessary equipment to support people with disabilities.

The premier toured the centre's facilities, which provides services to 34 people with special needs aged between 6 and 18. 

The centre's employees stressed the importance of expanding and rehabilitating the institution, and providing it with the necessary equipment, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, to make the classes inclusive of people with disabilities.

In addition, they added that the centre needs workers and specialists in the field of speech difficulties.