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Analysis, Evaluation and Improvement the Level of Service of Two-Lane Highways in Jordan (Case Study/Jordan)

Researches & Papers, Civil Engineering


Transportation industry is a service sector component, it is of important concern for the traffic engineers and planners to understand and evaluate the quality of service provided by the transport facilities. Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) quantified the concept of capacity for a transport facility and laid the foundations for estimating the level of service. This paper is about evaluation and improving Two-Lane Highways in Jordan. This research study was conducted on a main Two-Lane highway in Jordan, Jarash – Ajloun Highway, where class III is existed and this highway considered as major highway with high traffic volume in Jordan. The traffic data were collected from the government records at several departments in the Ministry of Public Work and Housing. The updated HCS 2010 programs software were used to evaluate and improve the level of service and traffic conditions at each segment for existing (year of the study-2016), shortterm (2021) and mid-term (2026). The evaluation show that some segments are operating at LOS E or LOS F for existing and short-term condition. The segments that operated at LOS E or LOS F for the existing or short-term or mid-term planning were improved by modifying the geometric and traffic conditions; in order to operate on better LOS. Management flow diagrams were prepared for the decision makers to be a guide for future planning program. The results show an improvement in the performance measures where ATS and PFFS are increased and PTSF is decreased as a result an improvement in the LOS is obtained


The network of the two lane two way highway in the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan needs a quick and several improvement and treatment, in the past few decades the growth of the number of vehicles has led to a decrease in the level of service and the quality performance on two lane highways. Roads and highways are a major part of the transportation infrastructure in Jordan and play a substantial role in the local economy and community development. High quality of service of these facilities is essential to ensure safe, cost effective and daily traffic operations. There is a rapid growth in population of Jordan which led to increase of demand in each and every aspect of our lives; therefore the increase of demand is directly proportional to increase of the usage of vehicles and the highway capacity. Two-lane highways are a very important element in the highway systems of most countries. They are used for a variety of functions, are located in all geographic areas, and serve a wide range of traffic. Any consideration of operating quality must account for these disparate functions. A two-lane highway is an undivided roadway with two lanes, one lane for use by traffic in each direction. As volumes and geometric restrictions increase, the ability to pass decreases and platoons forms. Motorists in platoons are subject to delay because they are unable to pass. Highways in the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan needs to be reconsidered and find future plans to improve quality of service that presented from these facilities; where with the growth number of vehicles led to decrease in the quality service and became necessary to study the causes as well as finds the solutions whether for the current or future conditions. Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) is the pioneer in management and evaluation for capacity and quality of service of various highway facilities including freeways, highways, arterial roads, roundabouts, signalized and unsignalized intersections, urban highways, and the effects of mass transit, pedestrians, and bicycles on the performance of these systems.


From the application of Highway Capacity Software 2010 on this major and important rural two lane highway, the following conclusions can be drawn: 1. It includes class I & III, on the existing conditions the segments operate differently. 2. Segment number 1 (NB) operate under LOS E while (SB) operate under LOS F, segment number 2 (NB) operates under LOS D while (SB) operates under LOS E, segment number 4 operates under LOS E for both directions. 3. Segment number 3 which is class III highway operates under LOS E for (NB) and LOS F (SB) due to the number of access points and the accessibility to a suburban area. 4. For short term conditions an improvement is suggested for the segments operates under LOS E & F where the prevailing geometric conditions is improved ( Lane width and shoulder width is idealized). 5. After the improvement is applied, segment number 1(NB) , 2, 3(SB) and 4 are operates under LOS F while segment number1 (SB) and 3(NB) operate under LOS E. 6. Due to the high number of vehicles crossing this facility and the poor operation measures another improvement is suggested to widen the facility and add a lane in each way to turn it into a multi-lane. 7. For the mid-term conditions and the suggested improvement all going (NB) is operate under LOS D, while the (SB) segments operates under LOS C.


Prof. Dr. Basim Jrew1, Dr. Majed Msallam 2, Eng. Mosab Naser3 1(Professor of Civil Engineering ، Isra University ، Amman-Jordan ، E-mail [email protected]) 2(Assistance professor of Civil Engineering ، Isra University ، Amman-Jordan ، E-mail:

Understanding the key factors of construction waste in Jordan

Researches & Papers, Engineering Management


Waste of construction materials has been recognized as a significant problem for different stakeholders involved in construction projects. This waste has negative impacts on the efficiency of the construction industry, the country economy at large and the environment. Thus, the minimization of construction wastes has become a pressing issue. This paper aims to investigate the main factors and causes contributing to material waste in the construction industry in Jordan. In order to achieve the aim of this study, a survey was carried out, employing semi-structured interview, to gather information from construction professionals about causes of waste in construction materials. The results show that the most significant factors contributing to construction waste can be categorized mainly into two groups: management related and workforce related. Examples of these are: ‘Lack of skilled workers and subcontractors’ and ‘Lack of quality management system’. Decision makers and construction professionals can use the findings of this study as inputs to build their strategies concerning construction waste management.


The construction industry in Jordan represents approximately 5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Bank Audi 2014). This contribution is a result of the demand for construction from other sectors of the economy. The construction industry supplies the infrastructure to enable other organizations in other economic sectors to operate. Such infrastructure includes both the national infrastructure (power, water, transport, etc…) and the infrastructure specific to an organization (its factories, offices and so on). The construction sector is large, complex and diverse covering a wide range of business activities. Construction projects can be classified in several ways. A common classification is as either building or civil engineering projects (Hillebrandt 2000). These could be further divided into housing, industrial and commercial building, and infrastructure projects and services (Cox and Townsend 1998; Pottier et al. 2006). Alternative classifications which are often used are repair and maintenance, and new work (Pottier et al. 2006). Construction industry in Jordan could be categorized into two main categories: Category I: Small and Medium Company. This type of company - family company - is owned and managed by one person and who‘s own interest to get a maximum profit from his investment with a short period of time. Companies fall into this category plays the roles of client and contractor and sometimes the designers with no intention into construction waste management. Category II: Large Size Company. This type of companies is multimillion dollar project, where the management is concerned with cost, quality and time. It can simply be recognized that the construction industry is a major consumer of natural resources. Examples of these are cement, sand and aggregate, wood, steel and energy. Moreover, the construction industry is generally project based (Bassioni et al. 2004), and these projects are specially made according to client requirements. Thus, from the above, it can be said that these conditions and characteristics within the construction industry can result in a serious waste of construction materials, which in turn will have major impacts on the country’s economy and the environment. The construction industry in Jordan is not an exception. It generates tons of construction wastes per year, making construction waste a pressing issue for in-depth investigation. Until now, there is no study in Jordan that has investigated this issue and addressed the main causes and factors that contribute to construction wastes. Therefore, there is a necessity to study this issue. This paper aims to identify the main factors causing waste in construction materials, quantifying waste ratios in various construction materials, and producing suggestions to help decision makers and construction stakeholders to manage and minimize the negative impacts of construction waste on the economy and environment in Jordan. In order to achieve this aim, an intensive literature review was carried out to identify causes behind construction waste in various countries. Following this, a survey with Category II Company was conducted to gather relevant data about the study. Then, data was analyzed and the results are discussed. At the end, a set of recommendations and suggestions are provided to deal with the construction waste issue in Jordan


This paper presents the main findings from a survey conducted in the construction industry in Jordan, aiming to investigate the concept of construction waste and identify the main factors contributing to it. Ten interviews were carried out with construction professionals. The findings of this study serve as the basis for making the following conclusions:  Most of construction companies do not seem to be concerned about material waste.  The most significant factors contributing into construction waste can be categorized mainly into two groups: management related and workforce related. This means that a considerable emphasis should be placed on the management factors of greater importance, so that the management effects can be maximized to enhance their practices. Furthermore, significant attention should be paid on building up workforce skills through training and education courses and encouraging permanent employment.  The actual waste in some construction items such as concrete and steel are higher than expected. Therefore, managing such factors that cause this waste is of great importance in minimizing construction waste. The findings revealed in this study can be useful for decision makers to formulate their strategies to enhance construction waste management in Jordan and other countries.


Omar Amoudi Civil Engineering Faculty, Damascus University Damascus, Syria [email protected] Jawad Al-rifai Civil Engineering Department, Philadelphia University, Jerash Road, Amman 19392, Jordan [email protected], Country

HIGH QUALITY WATER USING ZERO ENERGY AT URBAN AREAS OF JORDAN

Researches & Papers, Civil Engineering


-Water budget of Jordan is about one billion cubic meters with domestic water more than 40%. The quality of water is low in general due to the water shortage at all levels. The drinking water as well is of bad quality and high in dissolve solids little less than 1000 ppm as reflect of water scarcity. The solution could be the reverse osmosis (RO) but it is required energy. The energy consumed is high at main cities of Jordan just for drinking water since household RO is very common at every house and office. The attractive solution can be rainwater harvesting using no energy out of houses roofs. The only extra infrastructure required is a storage tank, which must be feasible economically or otherwise will be wasting energy. Building large storage tank for no rainwater to be stored is the waste. This practice is common as a result of wrong interpretation of rainfall measurements. Rainfall records of nine major cities in Jordan are investigated and average annual rainfall-runoff coefficients are developed to guide the sizing of the storage tanks. The selected rainfall stations are of average annual rainfall of as low as 40 mm per annum at Ma’an city up to 625 mm per annum at Ajloun city. The resulted average annual runoff coefficients are very low for Ma’an about 5% but high at Ajloun about 50%. Power equation is developed to estimate the runoff coefficient for paved roof out of the average annual rainfall with estimated error at ± 10%.


Jordan is a quite small country with a total area of 89,342 sq km. Although mostly desert, within its compact area, there are three different climatic zones; the Jordan valley, Mountain Heights and the Desert area, which constitutes 75% of the total land area of Jordan. The weather is almost entirely dry and sunny from May to October, where there is hardly any rainfall. Most of Jordan's desert receives less than 120 mm of rain per year, while the average rainfall in the mountain heights ranges between 300 and 600 mm per year. The rainy season begins at the end of November and continues till the end of March. Nonetheless, rainfall is periodic and chance of rain drops substantially from April onwards [1]. Jordan is classified among few countries of the world with limited water resources and it is one of the lowest on a per capita basis. The available water resources per capita are falling as a result of population growth. They are projected to fall from less than 160 m3/capita/year (2006) to about 90 m3/capita/year (2025) according to report out of MEnv and UNDP; this is putting Jordan in the category of an absolute water shortage. The scarcity of water in Jordan is the single most important constrains to the country growth and development because water is not only considered a factor for food production but a very crucial factor of health, survival and social and economical development. Water resources consist mainly of surface and ground water, with reclaimed wastewater being used at an increasing scale for irrigation [2]. Jordan is one of the Middle East countries which suffer from water scarcity as its water resources have been extensively exploited to cover the increasing demand. Supply and demand were examined to identify new supply resources and the potential for savings in the demand that can be implemented [3]. Jordan is suffering from an immediate and rapidly growing deficit. The water demand is exceeded the supply at all levels of consumption and specially the domestic use. The rainwater harvesting could be an attractive option to be implemented in order to close the deficit gap of the drinking water. Water budget of Jordan is about one billion cubic meters with domestic water more than 40%. The quality of water is low in general due to the water shortage at all levels. The drinking water as well is of bad quality and high in dissolve solids little less than 1000 ppm as reflect of water scarcity [4] [5]. The alternative solution could be the reverse osmosis (RO) but it is required energy. The energy consumed is high at main cities of Jordan just for drinking water since household RO is very common at every house and office [6]. The attractive solution can be rainwater harvesting using no energy out of houses roofs [7] as mentioned earlier. The rainwater harvesting is ancient practice in Jordan and the region [8]. The Nabataeans practiced rainwater harvesting at 1st century AD; more than 2,000 years ago. The rainwater is harvested for agricultural and domestic usages. The agricultural demand is supply completely out of rainwater at mountain and hilly areas [9]. The domestic demand is supplied partially from rainwater at different levels of practices [10]. The most common practice is using rainwater to make a nice cup of tea in Jordan and the region. The climate in study area varies from dry subhumid Mediterranean in the northwest of the country with rainfall of about 630 mm to desert conditions with less than 50 mm over distance of only 100 km. This climatic variety is reflected in rainfall patterns across the country where rainfall decreases from north to south, west to east and from higher to lower altitudes [11]. The study area is covered by nine rainfall stations along Jordan as shown in "Fig. 1". The concentration can be the north and middle parts of the kingdom to follow the high density of population areas. Most of the rainfall stations are in the northern and the middle part of the country since population intensity is higher as discussed. The high number of population leads to high water demand, which needs to be addressed. At same pattern, the rainfall is higher in those cities, which is more than the southern part of the country. Nevertheless, the country is divided into three parts, which are the north with two stations at two major cities; Ajloun and Jarash, the middle part with four stations at the two largest cities in the kingdom; Amman and Zarqa, and the south part with three stations at three major southern cities.


The selected nine rainfall stations are at seven major cities in Jordan, as shown in "Fig. 1". The major population intensities are in Amman and Zarqa and the rest divided into two parts one at north and the other at south. The intensity at north is higher than at south. The north cities are Ajloun and Jarash while the south cities are Karak, Shoubak, and Ma’an. These seven cities contain more than 85% of the Jordan population. The data used is out of nine stations to represent mostly all different conditions of rainfall in Jordan from north to south. The area of relatively high rainfalls is presented by three stations, which are namely; Ajloun at north, Wadi Es-Sir and Sweilih at Amman in the middle of the country. The semi dry area is presented by four stations, which are one at north, one at middle and two at south. Jarash and Amman Airport are at north and middle, respectively, while Karak and Shoubak are at south. The dry area is presented by Zarqa at middle and Ma’an at south. The daily runoff should be used to generate the annual runoff out of storm-by-storm analysis but in this research the average annual runoff coefficients are developed for different curve numbers at all nine rainfall stations over Jordan, as shown in Table II. The runoff coefficients can be used for different surface or roof covers starting from paved roof down to permeable surfaces. This will help in estimating the runoff out of a certain type of surface using the average annual rainfall. As an example, the CN for commercial 100m2 paved roof located at Sweilih is 95, and by using the average annual rainfall of 485mm/yr for Sweilih the amount of annual runoff that can be harvested out of this roof will be about 21m3/year. On the other hand 0.21m3/year can be harvested from the same roof if it was located at Ma'an. This leads to unfeasible construction of rain water harvesting system at areas of low precipitation. The runoff coefficient for paved roof is highly correlated to the average annual rainfall with correlation coefficient of 0.934. A power equation is developed to solve for the runoff coefficient for paved roof out of the average annual rainfall at the area with coefficient of determination at 0.960. The maximum error is not more than ± 25% with average error around ± 10%. The parameter of the equation is 1.932x10-3 and the power is 0.8866. "Fig. 6" shows the paved roofs runoff coefficients in relationship with the average annual rainfall at the major cities of Jordan


Adnan Al-Salihi . Awali Al-Nahhas. Consolidated Consultants Group. [email protected] . [email protected]