MPs are calling for a flyover in Budaiya to tackle gridlock as a major road upgrade gets underway.
The legislators, led by Jalal Kadhem Al Mahfoodh, are urging radical traffic solutions at Budaiya junction, Janabiya Road and the entrances to Salman City, including the removal of some traffic lights to help ease daily congestion.
Mr Al Mahfoodh said the long queues confronting motorists were no longer a problem that could be solved simply by adding lanes, arguing that the BD29.19 million Budaiya Highway development project should be used as an opportunity to introduce more fundamental traffic solutions.
He has urged the Works Ministry and other relevant authorities to conduct an urgent engineering study into the feasibility of building a grade-separated flyover at Budaiya junction, alongside redesigning the intersection, widening entrances and exits, and adding more U-turn facilities.
“The Budaiya junction has become one of the most prominent traffic bottlenecks in the Northern Governorate,” Mr Al Mahfoodh said.
“Traffic coming from four major roads is effectively funnelled into two lanes, creating daily queues and bringing movement to a standstill during peak periods.”
He said congestion was no longer confined to the morning and afternoon rush hours, with motorists facing delays throughout the day and into the evening.
The MP’s call comes as work gets underway on the long-awaited Budaiya Highway upgrade. The Works Ministry signed the implementation agreement in January for the 6.7km project, stretching between the Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Highway junction in the east and the Janabiya Highway junction in the west.
The contract, awarded to Haji Hassan Al Aali Group, is worth about BD29.19m. The project will widen the highway to three lanes in each direction and upgrade intersections along the route. It will also include service roads, pavements, parking areas, a stormwater drainage network, utility works, street lighting, landscaping and traffic safety measures.
However, Mr Al Mahfoodh wants the project to go further.
“The development of Budaiya Highway must not be limited to traditional widening,” he said. “We need a comprehensive traffic solution that deals with the bottlenecks themselves and connects Budaiya Highway with Janabiya Highway and the entrances to Salman Town.”
He said the proposed flyover should be studied alongside the ongoing highway works, rather than being left as a separate project for a later stage.
Mr Al Mahfoodh also called for a review of the numerous traffic lights along Janabiya Road and the road serving Salman Town, arguing that their close spacing contributes to stop-and-go traffic.
He urged the authorities to examine whether some signals could be removed and replaced, where engineering studies support it, with free-flow intersections, flyovers and dedicated U-turn facilities.
“The repeated stopping at closely spaced signals is adding to the daily congestion and disrupting traffic flow,” he said. “Where safety and traffic studies allow, we should be looking at free-flow solutions rather than making motorists stop at one signal after another.”
According to the MP, the rapid expansion of Salman Town and surrounding villages had fundamentally changed traffic demand in the area. Thousands of homes, schools, health centres and government and community facilities have added to the pressure on a road network that was designed for a much smaller population.
The ministry earlier said that the Budaiya Highway project was intended to respond to urban growth and population density and accommodate current and future traffic demand.
Mr Al Mahfoodh said that future growth must now be built into the engineering calculations.
“We should not wait for congestion to become worse before acting. The population and urban expansion are continuing, so our road network must be developed ahead of demand.”
He said the proposed flyover, redesigned junctions and changes to traffic-light arrangements should form part of a single integrated traffic plan for the area.
“Residents deserve roads that allow them to reach their homes, workplaces, schools and essential services without losing long periods of their day in traffic,” Mr Al Mahfoodh said.
He called for the proposed Budaiya flyover and junction redevelopment to be considered among the infrastructure priorities while the current BD29m-plus project is being implemented. He said this would provide an opportunity to deliver a longer-term solution rather than having to return to address the same congestion problem after the highway works are completed.
The proposal has been referred by Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al Musallam to the public utilities and environment affairs committee for review with relevant authorities.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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