The Sitra Causeway will be co-financed by Kuwait-based Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), it was announced.

An agreement was signed between the Bahrain government and the AFESD, whereby it will contribute KD19 million (BD24.7 million).

Signing the agreement were Finance Minister Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and AFESD director-general and chairman Abdullatif Al Hamad.

Shaikh Ahmed praised the continuous support provided by AFESD and other Arab funds to development projects in Bahrain.

He also stressed the keenness of the government to speed up infrastructure projects which have a direct impact on the daily life of the people and play a crucial role in fostering an investment-friendly environment.

"According to the agreement, AFESD will contribute to financing the BD74.2 million reconstruction of Sitra Causeway project," said Finance Ministry assistant under-secretary for financial affairs Aref Khamis.

It aims at easing the traffic flow in Bahrain and facilitates the increasing land transport between Manama and Sitra."

The signing was attended by Finance Ministry Under-Secretary Shaikh Ebrahim bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and senior officials from the ministry and AFESD.

The first phase of reconstructing the Sitra Causeway and Umm Al Hassam junction started in May this year.

The 31-year-old causeway will be replaced with a 200-metre northern-bound causeway and a 400 metre southern-bound causeway.

Work on the first phase is expected to be completed in 18 months, while the full project will end in three years. TradeArabia News Service