MP Mohammad Kabbani hinted the other day that there might not be a need for a new Jal el Dib bridge if removing it has facilitated traffic towards Jounieh and Tripoli. This statement has apparently angered Jal el Dib residents who decided to organize sit-ins every Tuesday on the site until the problem is resolved. [Source]
Noting that more than 50,000 cars used to cross in and out of Jal el Dib under the bridge on a daily basis, it’s unfair to cut off a large city just like that. However, Jal el Dib’s municipality takes part of the blame for refusing all the plans proposed in the past few years to replace the bridge and not presenting a viable alternative.
In terms of traffic, I must admit that it has worsened a bit in the morning but has become much better on the way back. What used to take more than an hour is now taking 30-40 minutes.
You can check out the alternative routes to coming into Jal el Dib nowadays[Here].