AN arterial thoroughfare in the heart of the capital is set for a BD40.5 million four-lane revamp that will include a pair of flyovers and an underpass.
Al Fateh Highway, which links bustling areas like Juffair, Ghuraifa, Adliya, Gudaibiya, Umm Al Hassam and Mina Salman, currently has a traffic flow of 87,000 vehicles per day.
The proposed revamp, set for completion in March 2024, would see capacity increased to 140,000 vehicles per day once completed.
“We understand that the construction period on any project is irritating and it is more painful when it is an arterial highway like Al Fateh. It will be necessary for the work to progress to assigned schedules,” said Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf during a media briefing and presentation at the Bahrain National Museum yesterday.
Present at the event were the Ministry’s Under-Secretary for Works Ahmed Al Khayyat, Capital Trustees Board chairman Saleh Tarradah and General Directorate of Traffic operations and traffic control director Colonel Rashid Al Dossary, alongside other senior ministry and government officials.
An agreement had been reached with the contractor and consultants that the highway’s lanes will not be closed down as work progresses. The plan is to close associated entrances and exits, within particular areas, to lower commuter waiting times and likely congestion, he added.
“The highway connects bustling areas, we understand that, but the end reward after two years, will be satisfactory,” he promised residents and motorists.
Finished sections will be opened as soon as durability and strength tests have been completed, he said, confident that the complete closure of the thoroughfare was unnecessary.
He added that the project was integral to the roadmap of the country.
A large number of major ground services have been carried out since 2018 to ensure there was no conflict with the major expansion works and upgrading of the junction.
“Additionally we have completely constructed the main sewage water line extending from Juffair to Al Ghuraifa,” the minister said.
“The project aims to improve the capacity of Al Fateh Highway by 61 per cent, which increases it from 87,000 vehicles per day, in its current condition, up to 140,000 vehicles per day once the project is completed.”
Mr Khalaf said the ministry had completed the construction of all the piles and piers of the U-turn flyover, and that the process of constructing it is proceeding according to the programme, which is scheduled for opening to traffic by the end of this year.
“The construction of piles for the additional left-turn flyover for traffic heading towards Prince Saud Al Faisal Highway has also begun, in conjunction with the required traffic diversions to provide work space,” he added. “The left-turn flyover is set to be opened to traffic in the first quarter of next year.
“Additionally, secant piling works are in progress in preparation for the underpass excavation and structural works.”
Upgrade
He added that the Al Fateh Highway upgrade project ranges from the entrance to Exhibitions Avenue in the north to Mina Salman interchange in the south.
“It includes the development of Shaikh Daij junction, Al Fateh Islamic Centre junction and the Dulab junction, with the aim of providing seamless traffic movement in both directions,” explained Mr Khalaf.
“The main works of the project include the expansion and upgrade of Al Fateh Highway to four lanes in each direction for more than three kilometres.
“We will also construct an underpass with three lanes in both directions with a length of 595 metres at the Gulf Hotel Bahrain Convention and Spa junction for traffic between the north and south, in addition to a signal-controlled junction at ground level.”
The one-way left-turn flyover will have two lanes for people coming from Manama from the north on Al Fateh Highway towards Prince Saud Al Faisal Avenue, while cancelling the junction of Al Fateh Highway with Shaikh Daij Avenue to provide free traffic movement, added the minister.
“The construction of a U-turn flyover, with two lanes near the entrance to Al Fateh Corniche, will allow northbound traffic to turn towards the south.
Mr Khalaf said the project is a cornerstone to the Manama Circular Road Plan, which also involves current and future roadworks.
“Al Fateh Highway is considered as the main artery carrying traffic for East Manama, and it is an integral part of the ring road plan, which, upon completion, aims to provide free flow traffic around the capital,” he elaborated.
“The ring road starts from Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Highway through Bahrain Map interchange, Umm Al Hassam and Mina Salman, passing through Al Fateh Highway and North Manama Causeway through to Bahrain Bay and the Financial Harbour, thus relieving traffic congestion on King Faisal Highway.”
The main works of the project have been awarded to a joint venture between Nass Contracting Company (Bahrain) and Huta Hegerfeld Saudi Limited (Saudi Arabia) by the Tender Board with a contract sum of BD29.7m financed by Saudi Fund for Development, where the project’s earlier stage began in April 2021 with a duration of three years, including the new flyovers and underpass, through supervision of Parsons Engineering Consultancy.
“People may ask where the BD10m has gone and, to clarify, it was taken to knock down part of the Gudaibiya Palace’s wall, remove services and partial acquirement of private property,” said Mr Khalaf.
“The metro plan is not incorporated in this project, but we left space, so it is just a matter of placement.”
The project’s exhibition can be visited electronically through the ministry’s website www.works.gov.bh and its Instagram account @Bahrain_Works. An interactive platform is also available for the public at The Avenues.
Col Al Dossary said traffic police patrols will be present regularly at the site to ease the traffic flow, while vehicle movement will be controlled through feedback from security cameras placed on the highway.
“We are minimising the work impact on three peak timings from 6.30am to 8am, 1pm to 3.30pm and from 7pm until late hours, while during the rest of the time the movement of traffic is manageable.”
The finished work will not be considered a concrete monstrosity either, as the green march across the country continues. “We have plans to increase the number of trees across the country from less than two million at the moment to 3.5 million trees by 2035,” said Mr Khalaf.
“The new revamp will have a good amount of greenery as we will plant trees in appropriate areas,” he said.
“Development shouldn’t be just cement, but also greenery, as we merge infrastructure with an environmentally-friendly approach.”
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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