"Another poster displays a 'new era for Lebanon' showing the Jounieh bay on the road to Beirut airport, in the southern suburbs of the capital, on April 11, 2025. (Credit: G.B/L'Orient Today.)
BEIRUT - A project to rehabilitate the road connecting Beirut international airport to the capital was officially launched on Wednesday, as infrastructure along this route, which passes through the southern suburbs, was heavily damaged in recent Israeli offensives against Lebanon.
This project aims to restore the road over a distance of eight kilometers between the airport and the downtown area. It aims to restore certain infrastructures and enhance safety on the various road sections involved, specifically by undertaking works on the pavement and sidewalks, replacing damaged barriers, installing new traffic signs, including lights, reflective road markings and shock absorption systems.
As part of this initiative, tunnels along the route will be cleaned, and their lamps, ventilation and fire prevention systems will be repaired. Additionally, advertising billboards identified as "dangerous" will be removed. The wastewater drainage systems will also be renovated. Landscaping, including tree planting, will also be carried out.
According to a project presentation reviewed by L'Orient Today, this project is still in the preparation phase, and the stakeholders are committed to starting the work as soon as possible to "complete it before the summer season."
During a press conference about this project at Beirut airport, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized that "the first contact of any person arriving in Lebanon is with the airport road." He also stated that the issue of safety on the airport road "is the subject of work with the Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar and Defense Minister Michel Menassa.
"We held a meeting to strengthen security in all its aspects," he assured. Salam finally praised the national company Middle East Airlines (MEA), considering that it "carries the beautiful image of Lebanon abroad ... and is a living example of public-private partnership."
"The airport rehabilitation project is not complete if we do not address the road leading to it," said Public Works Minister Fayez Rassamny. "We made the decision [to launch it] in 60 days and hope to complete it in the next two or three months," he added.
He also stressed that "to accelerate the implementation of the project, it is necessary to strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors." "We are working on setting up a regulatory body for civil aviation and all ports that generate revenue for the state," the minister continued.
Enhancement of security
MEA President Mohammad al-Hout emphasized the "need to study how to place advertising posters on the airport road" for security reasons. He finally thanked "the Interior Minister for his efforts with the governors and municipalities, especially the Union of Municipalities of the southern suburb of Beirut, to remove advertising posters on the Beirut airport road."
The Beirut municipality began on Tuesday the removal of political and religious character posters from the streets of Beirut, including those on the Airport Road, as part of an initiative aimed at making the Lebanese capital "a city devoid of sectarian and partisan slogans." This comes a week after two newly erected billboards on the Airport Road, showing an aerial view of the Jounieh Bay (Kesrouan), topped with a large Lebanese flag, accompanied by the slogan "A new era for Lebanon," were set on fire.