Prime Minister Fouad Siniora laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Mdeirej-Taanayel Highway. The $152-million, highway section is part of the 65.5-Km-long Pan Arab highway extending from Beirut to Masnaa on the eastern border with Syria. TEAM International is the construction supervision consultant for this project. The project is financed by a grant from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Fund for Development and OPEC Fund for International Development, and the government of Lebanon. Construction is expected to take 5 years.
The 62 km Highway is a vital artery of the Lebanese Transportation Network. It has a major linking function between Lebanon and the Arab Countries and will enhance the national tourism and commodity transportation sectors.
The Mdeirej-Taanayel section includes three lanes in each direction extending from the Mdeirej interchange through the Dahr al-Baydar, Aldelm Valley, and Amartijat Agdita narrowing down to two lanes in all directions (subject to expansion) through Shatura Zahlah ending in Taanayel. The highway section also includes the establishment of three major bridges as follows:
1. The Namlieh Bridge in Dahr al-Baydar stretching 215 meters in length and 30 meters in height.
2. The Jdita Bridge stretching 480 meters in length and 47 meters in height.
3. The Shtoura Bridge stretching 165 meters in length and 10 meters in height.
The project also includes among other things the creation of three junctions located the Dahr al-Baydar, Mraijat and Shtoura with their respective slopes, a total of 11 km stretch of service roads, nine over-passes and six under-passes, a storm-water drainage network and traffic management signs for public safety.
