A key highway serving one of Bahrain’s busiest transport corridors could be in line for a much-needed facelift after MPs called for urgent action to tackle chronic congestion and safety concerns.
Raya Highway, stretching from Hidd towards the Busaiteen intersection and running close to Bahrain International Airport, carries heavy traffic during peak hours, with bottlenecks particularly acute around the Busaiteen traffic lights and the highway’s numerous entrances and exits.
Strategic Thinking Bloc spokesman and area MP Khalid Bu Onk and MP Hisham Al Awadhi have submitted a proposal to Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al Musallam calling for an urgent traffic and engineering study covering the highway, its junctions, access points and exits.
The proposal was referred by the Speaker to the public utilities and environment affairs committee for consideration.
Mr Bu Onk said Raya Highway had become a vital artery for residents, employees and motorists travelling between Hidd, Busaiteen and the northern Muharraq areas, making its continued congestion increasingly difficult to ignore.
“This is no longer simply a matter of inconvenience during the morning and afternoon rush. Raya Highway is a vital route carrying thousands of vehicles every day, and its entrances, exits and junctions need to be brought up to the standard required by the volume of traffic they now handle,” he said.
He said completing the outstanding development of the highway would help unlock a wider network of connections between Busaiteen, Dair, Samaheej and Galali.
The call comes against a backdrop of years of efforts to improve the corridor.
The Works Ministry has previously developed sections of Raya Highway, while proposals to expand the route from Galali to Busaiteen were approved by the Cabinet in 2020 to improve connectivity for Dair, Samaheej and Galali. More recent municipal recommendations have also called for widening Raya Highway from the Busaiteen side.
But MPs say the job remains unfinished, with parts of the planned development held up by technical, administrative and financial constraints.
The undeveloped section is particularly significant because it connects into the wider Muharraq Ring Road network.
The Ring Road was conceived as a major alternative route linking Hidd, Galali, Dair, Samaheej, Amwaj Islands, Diyar Al Muharraq and Busaiteen, providing additional capacity as the north of Muharraq underwent rapid residential and commercial growth.
The Works Ministry has described the Ring Road as a strategic project providing safer and easier access to surrounding villages and major developments. Its current network includes expanded sections between Amwaj Islands and Hidd and connections towards Busaiteen and Diyar Al Muharraq.
Mr Bu Onk said completing Raya Highway’s missing links would be an important piece of that wider puzzle.
“Raya Highway should not remain the weak link in a road network that is otherwise being transformed. Completing its development will improve connectivity, reduce pressure at bottlenecks and, most importantly, make daily journeys safer for the people who depend on this road,” he said.
Mr Al Awadhi said the highway’s importance had increased as development accelerated around the airport, Busaiteen and northern Muharraq.
“We need to look at Raya Highway as part of one integrated road network, rather than dealing with each junction or traffic light separately,” he said
“The repeated congestion, difficult entry and exit movements and history of accidents show that temporary solutions are not enough. We need a comprehensive engineering solution that improves capacity while making the road safer.”
Drivers have also seen previous attempts to control speeds along the busy route, including the installation of road humps which were subsequently removed, leaving motorists once again relying largely on traffic signals and enforcement to regulate speeds.
The MPs said the focus should now move towards fully-costed permanent engineering solutions rather than short-term measures.
The proposal calls for a comprehensive assessment of traffic volumes, accident-prone locations, junctions, traffic lights and all entrances and exits, followed by practical improvements.
The Works Ministry has already demonstrated the scale of infrastructure needed in the wider area. The second phase of the Muharraq Ring Road/Busaiteen Link includes an 8.3km dual four-lane highway, 2.4km of associated dual carriageway and major drainage and airport-related works.
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