Bahrain's $80m roadworks to start in 2019 after five-year delay

Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development will reportedly support the Budaiya and Janabiya highway projects

More than five years after the project was first announced, roadworks on Bahrain’s Budaiya and Janabiya Highways are expected to start in 2019, with the $80m (BHD30m) schemes to be paid for by Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development as part of the GCC’s $10bn financial support pledged to Bahrain.

Explaining that the expansions were a long time coming, chairman of Bahrain’s Northern Municipal Council, Ahmed Al Kooheji, said both highways would have three lanes in each direction, with additional plans for side-roads to serve remote neighborhoods.

A government study is under discussion to explore how a new traffic artery could help connect the Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Highway to Saar Avenue.

Backed in principle by the council, the proposed study will seek alternative routes for traffic heading to the Al Hajar, Shakura, Abu Saiba, and Maqaba villages.

According to a report by Gulf Daily News, project work is expected to commence following the completion of sewage networks and the relocation of ground cables, which Al Kooheji said would conclude in the “next few months.”

Related projects planned for development include rainwater channels on the Janabiya Highway, lighting upgrades, beautification, and relevant safety checks.

Al Kooheji added: “The project also includes improving existing intersections near the Northern Town, adding new ones and providing new exits and entrances for villages if necessary to improve access.”

However, that roadworks on the Budaiya Highway could cause temporary disruption to motorists.

“The Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs, and Urban Planning has to address and tackle this issue very carefully,” Al Kooheji said.