Having already begun to reclaim its sidewalks for pedestrians, the Jordanian capital is now setting out to reclaim its streets from traffic chaos.

The Jordan Times reported this month that construction is underway on a new Bus Rapid Transit system in central Amman. Planners believe that the project, whose first stage is expected to be completed within a year, will radically change the way people get around the city.

In the first stage of the project, three BRT lines are slated to be built through the center of the city. The routes will have a combined length of 32 kilometers, at an estimated cost of $170 million. High-capacity buses, carrying over 120 passengers, will traverse the routes through segregated lanes, arriving at stops every three minutes.

While Bus Rapid Transit technology has rapidly spread throughout the world in recent years, it has been slow to reach the Middle East. When completed, Amman’s BRT system will join successful BRT projects in Istanbul and Tehran. Several Israeli cities are currently developing BRT projects as well.

The Amman Municipality is also planning a major overhaul of public spaces along the new BRT corridors, which will receive new sidewalks, crosswalks, landscaping and parking areas. According to The Jordan Times, King Faisal Circle, a major plaza in the city center, is slated for rehabilitation as well, with a focus on preserving its historical character and developing the area for tourism.

If done right, these moves will provide the ancient city with a serious facelift and a new image, while improving the way it functions for its 2.5 million or so residents. It will also be a move toward the fulfillment of the city’s new master plan, whose slogan is: “A livable city is an organized city, with a soul.”

Here’s Amman BRT’s animated PR video (in Arabic):

This post was originally published at TreeHugger.com on July 25, 2010. Image via Amman BRT.