A major multi-million dinar upgrade of one of Bahrain’s busiest transport corridors – Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah Highway – has entered the tender stage after royal ratification of its financing agreement.
The Works Ministry issued a public GCC tender yesterday through the Tender Board’s website for Phase 1 (Immediate Scheme) of the project’s second stage, covering a two-kilometre stretch from the Nuwaidrat intersection to near the Applied Science University.
It will feature a four-lane dual carriageway with service roads on both sides, alongside extensive infrastructure works including earthworks, storm drainage networks, a pumping station, duct crossings, protection and diversion of underground utilities, road construction and street lighting.
The move follows approval of the framework agreement by the Shura Council and Parliament and its ratification by His Majesty King Hamad, enabling financing support from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development for the wider highway project.
Tender documents stipulate a 52-week contract, with bids submitted under a two-envelope system separating technical and financial offers, with technical proposals evaluated first and excluding pricing details. The tender requires a BD5,000 initial bond, sets a 180-day validity period and is open to local and GCC contractors. Works include removal of unsuitable materials, construction of new road layers, stormwater drainage, utility protection works and installation of modern lighting systems.
Works Minister Ibrahim Al Hawaj earlier said the ministry remained committed to delivering the project in phases that minimise disruption while accelerating improvements on the ground.
“The Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah Highway is one of Bahrain’s key transport corridors linking the Capital Governorate with industrial zones and other parts of the kingdom,” he said.
“This corridor carries some of the heaviest traffic in Bahrain. Fast-tracking its development is essential to keeping pace with growth and ensuring long-term resilience of our road network,” he said, as reported in the GDN.
He noted that the project was part of the ministry’s continued priority to strengthen national connectivity and accommodate growing traffic movement, particularly around industrial hubs.
“We are not only widening a road, but upgrading an entire corridor to modern standards that support economic activity and reduce congestion and travel times,” he added.
The project’s second stage will involve a major highway expansion, estimated to cost around BD128.6 million. It will stretch 11 kilometres from Umm Al Hassam to Nuwaidrat and is designed to increase capacity from three to four lanes in each direction, with five major intersections to be upgraded into flyovers.
The first stage of the highway expansion project – the Alba Junction project – has already transformed the Alba and Nuwaidrat roundabouts into multi-level interchanges, easing congestion across the industrial area that serves Bapco Refining and Alba. Area MP Mohsin Al Asbool welcomed the tender launch, describing it as a long-awaited step for residents and businesses along the corridor.
“This highway is the main artery for thousands of workers, residents and heavy vehicles moving daily between Manama, Sitra, Ma’ameer, Eker and Nuwaidrat,” he said.
“Upgrading it will have a direct impact on people’s lives by reducing bottlenecks and improving safety.”
He stressed that the project’s benefits go beyond traffic flow.
“This is an economic corridor. Improving it means smoother movement of goods, better access to industrial facilities and a safer environment for all road users,” he added.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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