Khaberni - The Tafilah Governorate Directorate of Public Works reopened today, Saturday, the Royal Road in the L'aban area to the north of the governorate, after it was completely cut off by torrential floods and the overflow of Sheizum Dam, which caused parts of the road to collapse and disrupted traffic between the governorates of Tafilah and Karak.
The director of Tafilah Public Works, Engineer Ammar Al-Hajjaj, said that the directorate's crews commenced their fieldwork immediately after the damage occurred, working continuously around the clock to rehabilitate the damaged section and reopen the road to vehicles in less than 24 hours despite difficult field conditions, with support and effort from private sector companies.
He added that the public works teams, supported by heavy machinery, carried out urgent maintenance work, which included removing silt and debris, and addressing collapses, in addition to creating a temporary traffic diversion to ensure the continuity of movement between the two governorates, until the completion of permanent rehabilitation works.
He explained that the violent floods resulting from the overflow of Sheizum Dam, located east of Tafilah city, led to the scouring of the road's edges and the collapse of parts of it, as well as the erosion of large quantities of dirt towards its path, posing a direct risk to the safety of its users.
He confirmed that the ministry is closely monitoring the weather situation, in coordination with various relevant authorities, to ensure the sustainability of traffic flow on vital roads and to minimize the effects of floods and erosions, and to protect the infrastructure from future risks.
Engineer Al-Hajjaj pointed out that the Ministry of Public Works and Housing has leveraged available capacities to accelerate the pace of rehabilitating the road, while the Minister of Public Works has instructed the Tafilah Public Works Directorate to be supplied with a modern heavy machinery, a "backhoe loader," to support maintenance and necessary rehabilitation.
The Ministry of Public Works and Housing announced last Thursday, a precautionary closure of the road in the L'aban region, coordinated with the governor of Tafilah and specialized authorities, following the flow of large amounts of water from the Sheizum Dam which caused erosions in the road's body, to preserve the safety of citizens.
In this context, the Minister of Public Works and Housing, Engineer Maher Abu Al-Samn inspected yesterday, Friday, a number of sites damaged in the governorates of Tafilah and Karak and reviewed the extent of the damage to the Royal Road, praising the quick response of the technical staff and their ability to reopen the road in a record time.
During the tour, the minister listened to a detailed explanation from the technical teams about the nature of the damage and its causes, emphasizing the necessity of implementing radical solutions to prevent such damage in the future.
And he noted that the ministry has begun, within the available capabilities, implementing a package of technical measures, which include treating the damaged sections and reinforcing side protections, expanding the channels of valleys in critical locations, in addition to developing a rainwater drainage system in coordination with relevant parties.
Abu Al-Samn emphasized the importance of maintaining the highest levels of readiness, especially in light of forecasts of renewed rainy weather in the coming days, directing to provide all logistical and technical capabilities to support field teams, ensuring quick response and protection of the road network and serving citizens.
