Red Sea–Dead Sea Access
This sandbox is in the article namespace. Either move this page into your userspace, or remove the {{User sandbox}} template. The Red Sea - Dead Sea Access is a series of highway construction projects intended to bring easy transportation and prosperity to Jordan, Israel, Palestine and the surrounding area.
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Map of the Red Sea - Dead Sea Access, 1977
Anticipation
A highway access between the Red Sea and Dead Sea has been anticipated by the people for centuries. The bible has mentioned such a highway as well: "...there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left..." (Isaiah, chapter 11:16) "And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness...of the day of the Lord's vengeance and the desert to blossom..." (Isaiah, chapter 35:8)
The Agreement
An agreement was signed in [[Amman[[ on Oct. 24th, 1974 between the Retired Servicemen Engineering Agency (RSEA) of Taiwan and the Jordanian government, under which a new "road to friendship" will be built in the southern part of the Hashemite Kingdom. Yen Hsiao-chang, RSEA director, and Ahmad Shobaki, Jordanian minister of public works, signed the agreement for the construction of the 187-kilometer highway.
Under the agreement, RSEA will build the highway in 30 months. Construction will start in three months. Carrying a price tag of 14 million U.S. dollars, the highway will open up new horizons in industrial and agricultural development in southern Jordan. [1]
The Preparation
600,000 cubic meters of sand dune was opened for the critical area of the road within three months. To expedite the program, engineering expertise from surveying to embankment were brought in from Taiwan as well. More than 150 pieces of equipment were used, including 3 Wabco 555 self-elevating scrapers, 10 Caterpillar Bulldozers, 10 HINO dumping trucks, loaders, graders, water tanks, vibrating compactors and roller compactors, etc.
Safi-Aqaba Highway
The Safi-Aqaba Highway is a highway at Jordan side of the Jordan/Israel border. Totaling 187km in length, it connects Safi, the south end of Dead Sea to Aqaba, the north pint of Red Sea.
All engineers, mechanics, operators -74 expatriates - were selected from RSEA's job site at Taiwan (ROC), Africa, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. There are also over 200 local operators, laborers from Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, etc. The working schedule should follow Muslim's custom regarding the warship bell and festival of Ramadan and Hajj.
There was rarely life of animals and plants along the construction route. During the construction, the engineering group and equipment were moved in from Aqaba to form a new town in the desert, the lowest place in the world.
Besides high temperatures over 40 celsius degrees, the project had some challenges along the way. The Jordan/Israel border fence at 57k was standing on the designed alignment. Lin Chi-Ko, manager of Jordan Project Office of RSEA, contacted Israel patrol at the fence and told them the fence need to be moved to meet the highway design. After the fence was moved, the surveyors continued to work through. Furthermore, at 25k-66k, Jordan Engineering Corps support had to clear some mines. And it was only safe to conduct construction within 100m of the centerline of the alignment. Uufortunately, on June 17, 1975, an accident happened. The leader of surveying team of Jordan Public Works, along with two technicians and a driver were killed by a mine.
"The Pavilion of Friendship", a landmark and symbol for the highway, was built as a present by Taiwan to Jordan. Even though the diplomatic relation was terminated eventually, the people from two countries continued working together to finish building the highway.
Projects pass over Wadi Arabah
Safi - Mazra'a Highway is 32km in length. the embankment at the swampy region, and the rock at steep cliff area was exploded to use for the backfill. RSEA provided the equipment in the desert to Hyundai Engineering & Construction for housing units and to M&K Construction Company for Arab Potash Company projects.
Sweima - Zara Highway, 19km in length, was built north of Mazra'a. There is a gap along the Dead Sea between Mazra'a and Sweima. All heavy equipments were moved through King's Highway via Al Karak on crooked mountain roads over 800km. And the Camp of Sweima was set face to face with the golden dome of Jerusalem across the Dead Sea.
Incomplete Section by the Dead Sea
From Mazra'a to Zara 35km in length, a scope of the project, the highway can range from a dirt road to a pavement and to facilitate access by the Dead Sea. But the requirements involve the compacts of archaeology, biology, hydrology and economy. The cost of the project is dominant concern. The criterion is a range of values - within which is the performance of the projects. Thus, it is concerned with the construction for environment control, natural resource development, transportation facilities, tunnels, bridges and other structures. It was apparent concerning the value, the project would be expensive. And it may be keenly aware of the consideration to hold the incomplete section until now, April 2014.
Two Seas Canal
With the co-operation of Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the Red Sea–Dead Sea Canal project phase one begun in August 2013. The benefits to the region are tremendous.....