Al-Haramain
Bridge

Engineering Amman's
Urban Traffic Network

The Al-Haramain Bridge is a grade-separated road bridge structure located in Amman, Jordan — one of a series of major urban infrastructure investments that have progressively improved traffic flow and road safety in Jordan's rapidly growing capital city. CEC was engaged as the main civil engineering and construction contractor for this landmark project, delivering the complete structural and civil works from foundation to finished surface.

Grade-separated road structures in Amman present unique engineering challenges. The city's topography — dramatically hilly terrain shaped by over a dozen limestone ridges — means that bridges and overpasses must be designed not just for traffic loads, but for the specific ground conditions, elevation changes, and approach geometry that Amman's urban fabric imposes. No two bridges in Amman are alike, and each requires its own tailored engineering response.

The Al-Haramain Bridge project required CEC to work in a live traffic corridor, maintaining vehicular access through the construction zone throughout the works while simultaneously executing complex structural work in the adjacent space. This is among the most demanding aspects of urban bridge construction — and one that CEC's experienced infrastructure team has delivered successfully across multiple Amman projects.

Structural Design & Engineering Approach

The Al-Haramain Bridge was designed as a reinforced concrete structure — the structural system most appropriate to Jordan's construction environment, offering durability, seismic performance appropriate to Jordan's moderate seismic risk profile, and long-term maintenance economy.

Foundation Design

The bridge foundations were designed in response to the specific geotechnical conditions at the Al-Haramain site. Amman's geology is dominated by limestone formations of varying quality — some areas present competent rock at shallow depth, while others have weaker zones, cavities, or loose overburden requiring careful foundation engineering. CEC's site team conducted the foundation works with systematic quality control, including rock core testing, pile integrity testing, and foundation bearing verification before column installation commenced.

Substructure

Bridge piers and abutments were constructed in reinforced concrete to the structural drawings prepared by the design engineers. CEC's formwork design and erection, reinforcement placement, and concrete placement operations followed rigorous quality procedures — with independent material testing at every pour and systematic inspection of all structural joints and connections.

Superstructure

The bridge deck was constructed using a reinforced concrete approach appropriate to the bridge's span and loading requirements. The precise method — cast in-situ or precast beam and slab — was selected based on the span geometry and programme constraints of the specific crossing. Expansion joints, bearings, bridge drainage, parapets, and road surfacing were all installed and commissioned as part of CEC's scope.

Managing Construction in Live Traffic

The Al-Haramain Bridge, like all of CEC's urban infrastructure projects in Amman, was constructed in a live traffic environment. This is not a minor operational challenge — it is a fundamental engineering and management discipline in its own right.

CEC's traffic management approach on this project included:

• Traffic Management Plan: A detailed, GAM-approved phased traffic management plan defining temporary lane closures, diversions, and signage at every stage of construction.
• Phased construction sequence: The structural works were sequenced to always maintain minimum lanes of traffic through the construction corridor, even during the most intensive construction phases.
• Night working: Critical operations that could not be executed without full closure of the traffic corridor were scheduled for low-traffic night periods, with advance public notification.
• Safety barriers and signage: Temporary vehicle restraint systems to protect construction workers from errant vehicles, with advance warning signage meeting GAM specifications.

Quality, Testing & Handover

All concrete on the Al-Haramain Bridge was tested by an independent certified laboratory — cube specimens from every pour were tested at 7, 14, and 28 days, with all results recorded and submitted to the project supervision engineer. Reinforcement placement, cover depths, lap lengths, and bar dimensions were checked against drawings at each stage by CEC's quality engineer and the client's supervision consultant.

On completion, the bridge was subject to a formal inspection and load test before being opened to traffic. CEC prepared comprehensive as-built documentation — structural drawings updated to reflect actual construction, material test certificates, and inspection records — for handover to the client and inclusion in the bridge asset register.