King Abdullah II Street Light Rail Visualization

Amman relies mainly on wheeled vehicles such as buses and cars for transportation, unlike major cities like New York, Paris, Berlin, and Tokyo, which have extensive railway systems. This heavy reliance on vehicles has led to significant traffic congestion due to the large amount of space they occupy.

The Amman Municipality has attempted to address this issue by constructing bridges and tunnels to improve traffic flow at intersections and by designating a special lane for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. However, the narrow roads and the increasing number of private vehicles have limited the effectiveness of the BRT, with only a small portion of the city’s daily trips (estimated at 12 million) utilizing it. The BRT’s share of public transportation in Jordan is less than 2%, compared to the 13% national average. In contrast, cities like Bogota, the capital of Colombia, have a much higher BRT usage, accounting for 30% of public transportation.

Adopting the “Corridor Intensification Strategy” by the Greater Amman Municipality as part of the 2007 Amman Master Plan has put significant pressure on the roads. Ten main roads were selected to increase urban density by allowing for more floors and a higher percentage of development, leading to a substantial increase in traffic. These roads already operated at total capacity, and most did not have service roads. The situation was exacerbated because about a third of the road width was taken for the BRT lane, particularly on Queen Rania Al-Abdullah Street (University of Jordan Street), causing increased traffic congestion near the Sweileh BRT station.

Additionally, the government awarded a contract for the “King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein Road Development Project” despite uncertainty about its feasibility and potential return on investment. This raises questions about why detailed designs are being developed for a project that may ultimately be unfeasible.

In our ongoing efforts to persuade the new government to reconsider the planned construction of a second-floor street above Medical City Street, we have revised our proposal. Our latest idea involves creating a tunnel specifically for buses and cars, with an elevated track for the Light Rail that includes stations connecting different sections of the tunnel network. We have identified the People’s Roundabout “Al-Sha’ab” in front of the Business Complex as a suitable location for a central transportation station in Amman. This roundabout has a large diameter of 132 meters and is positioned along an axis that links the north and south of the Kingdom.

The ambitious project aims to diversify transportation modes by establishing an expandable tunnel network under the streets perpendicular to this street. These streets include Queen Rania Street to the east, Al-Kamaliya, Al-Salt to the west, Wasfi Al-Tal Street, Mecca Street, and Roundabouts Street from the first to the eighth circle.

The project has the potential to attract investors. It can be presented to international developers as an investment opportunity, such as a toll road exploiting the shops at the stations for investment. It can also serve as the basis for expanding and diversifying transportation modes from vehicles, buses, and trains. This will help alleviate traffic congestion by diverting traffic to the lower levels, leaving the ground level for public squares. The proposed solution aims to transform Amman from a city known for its traffic congestion to one with a tunnel network, ultimately improving the quality of life and aligning with the vision of economic modernization.

A project of this magnitude would appeal to investors and impact engineering consulting, executive construction, and related sectors such as construction, transportation, real estate, finance, banking, energy, technology, services, trade, and retail. Jordan needs a project like this, a true national revival project that would provide employment opportunities during planning and implementation, boost the economy, and alleviate the travel challenges faced by residents and visitors to the Kingdom.

Presenting this proposal to the public aims to help achieve a breakthrough in addressing traffic congestion in Amman. Our goal is to reach a solution that may seem like a dream to some but is a reality in many global cities. Shouldn’t we have the right to dream of metro and state-of-the-art transportation stations in Amman?

Sunna Alaqar Engineering Office (SACO) is a consulting entity licensed by the Engineering Offices and Companies Authority of the Jordanian Engineers Association under No. 938 in the Consultant (A) category. It provides design and engineering supervision services in architectural design and urban planning.

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