Jal el-Dib Residents Resume Protests over Lack of Traffic Alternative

The residents of the town of Jal el-Dib blocked the highway and the coastal road on Tuesday after the government failed to meet their one-month ultimatum to find a solution to the traffic following the dismantlement of the old metal bridge.

Their protest caused bumper-to-bumper traffic during the early morning rush hour, preventing commuters from reaching their workplaces on time.

But the army and security forces later reopened the Beirut-Jounieh highway and the coastal road that remains open until 11:00 am for commuters heading to the capital.

Traffic was back to normal before 9:00 am, media reports said.

The Jal el-Dib bridge, which was built shortly after the start of the civil war in 1975, 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.