Beirut: Minister of Public Works and Transport, Fayez Rasamny, on Tuesday held a coordination meeting to review progress on the Jounieh Highway Expansion Project, with the participation of the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) and heads of the concerned municipalities.
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, the meeting assessed the current status of works, reviewed progress made to date, and defined the responsibilities of each concerned party to ensure a faster pace of execution and address both administrative and on-site challenges.
Participants also agreed to hold regular follow-up meetings to monitor each phase of implementation and strengthen coordination on the technical and administrative levels, particularly with regard to removing waste and obstacles within the public road boundaries prior to field operations.
In this context, the ministry urged the municipalities located within the project's area to proceed with the evacuation of state-owned properties falling within the highway boundaries, in line with the administrative decisions issued in this regard and as part of the implementation plan designed to ensure smooth progress within the set deadlines.
The ministry emphasized that these measures aim to safeguard the public interest and accelerate the completion of the works, which represent a key component of the national plan to modernize Lebanon's coastal road network and ease traffic congestion in the region.
The ministry's statement further stressed that any illegal occupation of public property constitutes a violation of state assets, hinders project implementation, and exposes violators to legal accountability.
The ministry concluded by reaffirming that the Jounieh Highway Expansion Project is a strategic national undertaking, whose success depends on close cooperation between government agencies, municipalities, the CDR, and citizens alike, in full compliance with the law and in pursuit of the common good.