Metn residents to continue protests if Cabinet fails to approve replacement bridge

BEIRUT: Metn residents warned Tuesday that they will hold a protest next month if no final decision is made regarding a replacement for the recently dismantled Jal al-Dib bridge.

The organizers apologize in advance to Lebanese and to foreign tourists for what their move on June 10 at 7 a.m. will result in if a final decision is not made based on a proposal with a plan for immediate implementation, a statement by the residents said.

It added that Metn residents were fed up with attempts by some officials to politicize their rightful demand for proper infrastructure.

Residents of Jal al-Dib and its environs have protested over the past two months to demand the construction of a replacement for the recently dismantled bridge, in the process blocking the main coastal highway leading to and from Beirut.

Proposals made by an independent group of engineers representing Jal al-Dibs residents and a number of other proposals by the Council of Development and Reconstruction have so far failed to be included in the Cabinets agenda for discussion.

The protesters also said that during a meeting earlier this month with Deputy Prime Minister Samir Moqbel, whom the Cabinet designated to resolve the issue, the Development and Construction Council agreed to prepare a new study based on European standards for a highway extension to Beirut and Tripoli, with a road leading to Jal al-Dib and the Metn.

In the statement Tuesday, residents urged the Cabinet to approve the plan to build the bridge as agreed with Moqbel.

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Metn residents to continue protests if Cabinet fails to approve replacement bridge