Sajih Attieh announces $40M for widening Jounieh highway

BEIRUT — The Jounieh highway will be expanded at a cost of $40 million, announced MP Sajih Attieh after a Public Works Committee meeting attended by Public Works Minister Fayez Rasamny, El-Nashra reports.

"The minister informed the committee of a major project covering essential infrastructure, announcing that $40 million in financing had been secured by the Ministry of Public Works for expropriations and the widening of the Jounieh highway," Attieh said, calling it a "historic achievement."

The Jounieh highway is used daily by tens of thousands of motorists who often find themselves stuck in endless lines, especially during the summer. Widening works had already been considered in 2019, without success.

Attieh pointed out that "the Council for Development and Reconstruction has completed the studies, and the widening work should begin in a month at the northern entrance to Beirut."

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Thirty additional buses and a Chinese donation

As envisioned in 2019, the project should also be accompanied by the establishment of a proper public transportation network. "The minister has committed to providing thirty additional buses to be distributed in the centers of the regions' districts, not exclusively in Beirut, in addition to a Chinese donation expected to amount to about a hundred buses."

Inaugurated on Dec.20, 2024 — less than a month after the cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel — the new state-provided public transportation service called "Public Transport" had launched six initial lines — out of eleven planned — mainly connecting Beirut and its suburbs.

On April 22, Rasamny announced the opening of three new bus lines, linking the capital to Tripoli (North), Sour (South), and Shtaura in the Bekaa Valley.

Additionally, Attieh stated that "starting in September, road modifications will be implemented, including stricter enforcement of traffic lights," noting that a meeting of the Public Works Committee would be held "to address this issue." Besides the issues of public safety and road accidents, the meeting also discussed the awarding of Qlayaat airport, the transformation of which into a civilian airport is a stated goal of the Salam government, and the Jounieh marina, where rehabilitation work is underway to accommodate a maritime line to Cyprus.

Finally, concerning the Chekka–Beirut highway, Attieh assured that "funding has been secured and work is underway, with the project set to be completed before the end of the year."