Latest news with #DirectorateofPublicWorks
Jordan News
2 days ago
- Business
- Jordan News
Public Works: Central and Local Road Projects in Balqa Exceed 10 Million Jordanian Dinars - Jordan News
The Ministry of Public Works and Housing, represented by the Directorate of Public Works in Balqa Governorate, continues to implement a wide range of central and decentralized projects across the governorate's districts, with a total cost estimated at over 10 million Jordanian dinars. These projects include maintenance of main roads, construction of service and agricultural roads, as well as public safety and technical services, all within the allocations of the 2025 budget. اضافة اعلان According to the ministry's media spokesperson, Omar Muharameh, the leading projects include maintenance works on the Salt – Wadi Shueib and Mahes – Wadi Shueib roads, costing approximately 3.7 million dinars. These are part of a central tender executed by the Ministry's Roads Directorate aimed at improving infrastructure quality and enhancing safety on these vital corridors. Additional technical and executive updates during implementation have amounted to 810,000 dinars. Regarding traffic infrastructure improvements, Muharameh told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that the ministry is executing a new service road along the Amman – Salt road extending to the Dabbabneh tunnel in both directions, costing 484,000 dinars. This aims to improve traffic flow and reduce pressure on the main road. He also pointed out that the ministry is working on a project to widen the access road and build new buildings and yards for cargo and passengers at the King Hussein Bridge, with a budget of 3.5 million dinars, in addition to illuminating Mada'i road at a cost of half a million dinars. The Balqa Public Works Directorate is also monitoring the implementation of decentralized budget projects exceeding 600,000 dinars, which include road maintenance, construction of agricultural roads, and service works in various areas of the governorate. In the maintenance sector, work is underway rehabilitating the road from Sakneh traffic signal to Karama in the Shouna Al-Janoubi district, with a cost exceeding 59,000 dinars. Another major maintenance project covers the road from the Jordan University Farm to Al-Wadi Al-Abyad in Deir Alla district, costing 222,000 dinars. Both projects involve milling the old asphalt layer, surface leveling, and re-paving. In terms of road safety, the directorate is implementing a project costing 30,000 dinars that includes installing concrete speed bumps and traffic management elements within Salt city center. The directorate has also launched a general maintenance services project in Salt city center for 10 months, costing about 70,000 dinars, to provide labor and machinery for daily maintenance works. Supporting the agricultural sector, the directorate is implementing a series of agricultural road projects in the areas of Rmimen, Soumya, Ayra, Allan, and Umm Al-Omad, with a total cost approaching 220,000 dinars. These projects aim to pave agricultural roads with a final asphalt layer, improving farmers' mobility and ease of access to their lands. Recently, the ministry announced the tender for a project to improve traffic movement and raise public safety standards on the Amman-Salt road, extending from Al-Awaisah complex to the start of the Dabbabneh tunnel over approximately 6 kilometers. The work includes creating side islands to organize entry and exit for commercial complexes without disrupting main traffic flow, with a budget close to half a million dinars. These efforts are part of the ministry's comprehensive plan to develop infrastructure across governorates, implementing royal directives calling for improved services and balanced development in various parts of the Kingdom. Muharameh affirmed the ministry's keenness to complete the governorate council projects before the end of the fiscal year, noting that the ministry has worked according to a plan supervised by the Minister of Public Works and Housing, Engineer Maher Abu Al-Samen, to ensure project preparation, approval, and tender documentation were ready before the new year, allowing tenders to be launched within the first month.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fort Cavazos soldiers say AC problems tormented them for over a month
An air conditioning problem that plagued the U.S. Army's Fort Cavazos barracks in early February continued for several weeks after being identified, according to testimonials from soldiers. Soldiers said they experienced five to six weeks of unbearably hot temperatures in their rooms, reporting the problems both on the dorm-reviewing app Hots&Cots and through statements provided to Military Times. On Feb. 7, a Fort Cavazos spokesperson confirmed at least 10 buildings were affected by a mechanical failure with water pumps that controlled the AC units. Brian Dosa, director of the Directorate of Public Works, said in an emailed statement that the chillers were fixed and the air conditioning was restored as of Feb. 28. 'The root problem was a manufacturer's recall on one of our three chillers, which we had to take offline,' Dosa said. The Directorate of Public Works oversees the facility management of Fort Cavazos, according to the Army website. Fort Cavazos worked to fix the problems in the previous weeks, but the repairs didn't go as planned, the base previously acknowledged. When Military Times reported on the issue Feb. 7, a spokesperson for the base did not provide a timeline for when the repairs would finally be completed. 'The Fort Cavazos Garrison Team is working closely with 1st Cavalry Division leadership to provide appropriate accommodations to impacted soldiers until successful repairs can be completed,' the statement read at the time. Broken AC at Fort Cavazos leaves soldiers sweating Hots&Cots founder Rob Evans contacted Military Times last week, flagging further complaints about the AC units on the review app. He said the problems had affected 41 buildings, instead of the previously reported 10, claiming that the larger number was given to him by Fort Cavazos. When reached for comment, Fort Cavazos did not confirm that 41 buildings were dealing with an AC unit problem. Instead, they confirmed that 41 facilities received chilled water for air conditioning, with 10 of those being barracks. Throughout February, Hots&Cots posts continued to complain of excessive heat at the Texas military base. A review posted Feb. 15 showed a photo of a thermostat reading 80 degrees Fahrenheit, along with a caption that read, 'STILL busted.' Two separate posts uploaded on Feb. 26 similarly showed high room temperatures, one at 78 and one at 89 degrees Fahrenheit. 'We're going on 5-6 Weeks of NO AC, I'm at my wits end,' the latter post read. 'Leadership and garrison has ZERO care for single soldier Quality of Life.' Another post Feb. 20 even showed a room dipping into cold temperatures, with a photo of a 57.5 Fahrenheit thermometer reading. When complaints first started flooding Hots&Cots, soldiers accused the base of closing work orders immediately after they'd submitted them, despite the issue persisting. 'There is no need for multiple open work orders for a problem that has already been identified,' a Fort Cavazos spokesperson said at the time. A soldier stationed at Fort Cavazos spoke to Military Times on Feb. 28 and described a lackluster response to the complaints about AC problems. The soldier spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearing potential retaliation. 'I've called them about four or five times periodically 'cause this AC thing has been an issue for the last five to six weeks,' the soldier said. The soldier also described a problem-solving system in which electronically filed complaints were immediately canceled after submission. 'They refused to put in a work order because there were already work orders in,' the soldier said. Meanwhile, the soldier's barracks room consistently reached high temperatures. On the evening of Feb. 26, the room was 84 degrees, making it difficult to sleep, the soldier said. The Directorate of Public Works advised the soldier to buy a portable AC unit to help cool down the room, without offering reassurance that any money spent on a unit would be reimbursed. The soldier declined out of principle. Barracks problems take center stage at military readiness hearing Plug-in fans were dispersed to soldiers at the building's duty desk one day, the soldier said, but a fan wasn't enough to successfully combat the heat. As of March 4, the soldier's room was hovering at 77 degrees Fahrenheit, creating doubts about whether the issue had been fully resolved. The soldier believes the base's broken AC units — and the response from leadership — were indicative of a more systemic problem. 'The AC situation is a symptom of the bigger issue of DPW not actually being held accountable to get stuff done,' the soldier said. The Directorate of Public Works was slow to respond to work orders, the soldier claimed, and sometimes the office didn't respond at all. Like with the AC problems, orders for other issues submitted in the past had been canceled before any solution was provided, as well, according to the soldier. The soldier described the overall quality of life at Fort Cavazos as poor, with broken washing machines and dryers and mold in certain barracks, which the soldier worried would be exacerbated by the intense heat from the AC problem. 'We take our responsibility to care for our single Soldiers who live in barracks on Fort Cavazos very seriously and respond to all work orders that we receive, including reports of mold,' Dosa said in response to an inquiry about the complaints. Dosa said a barracks renovation program had invested $835 million in upgrading 72 out of 100 barracks over the past 12 years, referencing the makeover as an example of the base's commitment to its soldiers' wellbeing. On April 8, 2021, the U.S. Army announced an 'on-post housing overhaul' worth $420 million that would replace 600 homes at Fort Cavazos. 'As of today, we are tracking 17 rooms in two permanent party barracks and one transient barrack with confirmed mold,' Dosa said. 'These rooms are under contract for remediation.' Dosa recommended soldiers submit a work order through ArMA, the Army Maintenance Activity platform, or call (254) 287-2113 to report any suspected mold in their rooms.
