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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Minister of Public Works and Housing Falah Omoush on Saturday announced that all major works on the $324-million Desert Highway project had been completed, saying the overall completion rate of the vital project is now at 99 percent.

What is left is the construction of service roads in the Husseinyah and Qatraneh districts and other works, including the construction of sidewalks, traffic islands and the rehabilitation of the entrances to some towns on the 220km highway, Omoush said in a statement.

He revealed that the ministry will establish a dedicated Desert Highway affairs unit, stressing that "the challenge now is to preserve this achievement and ensure continuous maintenance of the road given its vital importance to the economy".

Also, Omoush said a committee comprising all stakeholders in the project had submitted to the cabinet a set of recommendations that would ensure adherence to traffic laws and a sustainable use of the highway.

The recommendations include the opening of weighing stations along the road, preventing fuel tanker trucks from using it and requiring other cargo trucks traveling from Aqaba to Amman to use the third lane of the road, the minister added.

Furthermore, the committee recommended the formation of a team to be stationed in the Al-Sultani area to monitor the road and provide feedback to the ministry. The traffic police will also operate stationary and moving traffic patrols along the road, in addition to the deployment of fixed and mobile speed camera systems.

The 220km Desert Highway project starts from the Queen Alia International Airport Bridge near Amman down to the Marigha area in the south. It was built a Jordanian-Saudi consortium and was co-funded by the Saudi Fund for Development and the Jordanian government.