Kataeb’s Keserwan-Ftouh district chief Michel Hokayem said Thursday that the longstanding demand to expand the Jounieh highway is key to solving the crippling traffic congestion that Lebanese commuters face daily.

Speaking via Voice of Lebanon radio, Hokayem noted that more than 20,000 cars use the coastal highway every day — six times its designed capacity. He described the situation as “a path of suffering for citizens,” stressing that MP Salim Sayegh has played a crucial role in reviving the long-stalled project.

“Half of Lebanon passes through this highway, and it is unacceptable to waste people’s time and add more pollution just to reach their homes or workplaces,” Hokayem said, urging all parties to recognize that “the public interest must come before private interests.”