Construction of a multi-million dollar roads interchange at the Mina Salman junction in Bahrain is to begin early next year, it has been revealed.

The project, part of the Strategic Roads Master Plan, will greatly improve traffic in the area and bring an end to bottlenecks at one of Bahrain's main arteries, said Works Ministry Public Works Affairs Under-Secretary Nayef Al Kalali.

"The tendering process for this very prestigious project is now on and will conclude by the end of September," he told the Gulf Daily News, our sister newspaper.

Al Kalali said six leading firms, including some from Bahrain, have already bid for the project. "The bidding was to have ended by the end of this month but has been extended by four weeks."

Al Kalali said the project includes the construction of an overpass for the movement of traffic from the Shaikh Isa bin Salman Highway to Al Fateh Street.

"It also includes construction of a tunnel from the Shaikh Isa bin Salman Bridge heading towards the Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Port and Hidd," he said.

"It will be a three-level construction that involves a very high level of design and construction expertise."

Al Kalali said the project would take 32 months to complete after construction begins. "As things stand now, the whole project will be ready before the end of 2013," he said.

"The project was planned after studies were carried out to augment the roads network in Bahrain. "The idea was to improve the existing roads network in order to accommodate the traffic volume predicted for the year 2021."

Al Kalali said with the completion of the Mina Salman Interchange, there would be uninterrupted flow of traffic between King Fahad Causeway and the new Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Port.

"The Bahrain Map Interchange Project has already been completed and the Umm Al Hassam grade-separated interchange is nearing completion," he said.

"This achievement will significantly improve the traffic along the main trade corridor in Bahrain and is an integral part of the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030."  - TradeArabia News Service