More than a quarter of a million of passengers crossed the King Fahd Causeway over the first three days of the first term school holidays, which started last Friday in Saudi Arabia.
According to latest statistics, 291,021 passengers made the trip on the strategic artery linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – 88,714 on Thursday, 95,025 on Friday and 107,282 on Saturday.
The causeway authorities operated 21 lanes for travellers crossing to Bahrain and 17 lanes for passengers entering the Saudi territories to deal with increasing traffic during the holidays.
“The peak of the traffic movement of passengers and vehicles reached its highest from 9 PM to midnight”, said Saudi Causeway Customs director Lieutenant-Colonel Dhouwahi Al-Sahli, adding that all measures had been taken to ensure the smooth flow of travellers and ease traffic congestion during the holidays.
He stressed the directives of the Eastern Province governor Prince Saud bin Nayef and the directives of the Eastern Province passports director Lieutenant-General Faisal Al-Balaasi.
He said that the measures had been undertaken in coordination with the Bahraini customs authorities on the other side of the causeway.
“The two sides held regular meetings and set up joint committees to exchange information as part of efforts to fast-track procedures for passengers and ensure security coordination”, Al-Sahli said in a statement to Saudi Al-Yawm newspaper.
He said that 40 extra employees will be working all along the school holidays during the two shifts which start from 7 AM until 4 AM to help speed up procedures and ease traffic congestions on both ways.
Lt. Col Al-Sahli said that the number of lanes on the Saudi side would be increased to 36, up from 17 at present on finishing the current expansion work.
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