Jal el-Dib Residents Block Highway for 2nd Week in a Row

Jal el-Dib residents blocked on Tuesday the highway in the area of the dismantled bridge for the second week in a row to protest the lack of an alternative for traffic.

The angry protestors also blocked the coastal road that allows commuters to have access to Beirut until 11:00 am, causing bumper-to-bumper traffic during the morning rush hour.

MPs Ibrahim Kanaan and Ghassan Mkhaiber, and Lebanese Forces official Eddy Abilamma joined the protestors.

Former lawmaker Ghassan al-Ashqar was also on hand to back them in their demands.

The government has referred the issue to the Council for Development and Reconstruction but the residents of Jal el-Dib and nearby areas are calling for the approval of a project that would allow access for traffic to the highway in the direction of Beirut.

As the roads were reopened for traffic following an hour of protest, the residents reiterated in a statement that they would hold sit-ins every Tuesday until their demands are met.

The Jal el-Dib bridge was dismantled in February after warnings that the structure could collapse.

The decision to remove it was taken after a building collapsed in Ashrafiyeh’s Fassouh neighborhood, leaving 27 people dead and 12 others injured.

The collapse sparked widespread anger and accusations that authorities had failed to address the dismal state of old properties across the country.