The kingdom has unveiled plans of setting up a strategic network of highways that will link the upcoming Bahrain Financial Harbour (BFH) by inviting tenders for the first phase of reclamation said assistant under-secretary for roads Essam Khalaf.

The new network will also comprise three bridges that will help regulate the flow of water and maritime traffic. “Its first phase, a six-lane extension of the Al Fateh Highway connecting the BFH project, will ease congestion in northern Manama, said Khalaf.
The extension, to the north of the Al Fateh Highway, will turn west and run parallel to King Faisal Highway. Reclamation work is expected to begin next month and will be completed by April 2006.
The highway, expected to be opened in March 2007, will ease traffic on King Faisal Highway ahead of the completion of the Harbour project and the World Trade Centre,” Khalaf pointed out. “It follows a long-term strategy which includes the building of the Seef and Pearl roundabout flyovers.”
Studies show that 200,000 vehicles use King Faisal Highway every day and more than 30,000 vehicles are expected to be headed daily to the BFH once it is completed, Khalaf added. “These developments are therefore needed to keep the traffic flow manageable,” he said.