Part of the BD50 million ($132.6 million) Isa Town flyover project, taking traffic from Manama to Sanad, is set to open to traffic within 10 weeks.

The pledge was made as Works Minister Esam Abdulla Khalaf toured the site to take stock of the situation.

He said more than half the work on the entire project had been completed and it was on track to be fully operational by the middle of September.

'The first part will open for traffic in the middle of May,' Khalaf told our sister newspaper Gulf Daily News (GDN).

'This will mean easier access for traffic that is coming from Manama and going towards Isa Town, particularly towards the several private schools, Bahrain Training Institute and Bahrain Polytechnic among others.'

He said it would be followed by the opening of other parts of the project in quick succession.

'This includes a 560-metre tunnel that will facilitate traffic from Manama to Riffa,' said Khalaf.

Construction of the project, which came to a temporary halt after original contractor Sungwon Corporation was axed in February last year, was later re-tendered and awarded to Nass Corporation.

'Work is now moving at a brisk pace and we expect when completed, this project will be an engineering masterpiece,' said  Khalaf.

'Three layers of traffic will move in different directions at the same time.'

He said the project was in line with Bahrain's 2030 Economic Vision and in fulfilment of the Works Ministry's strategic objective.

Ministry Under-Secretary Nayef Al Kalali said challenges during construction included proximity to live services, the necessity to adopt a proper sequence in construction and managing the high volumes of traffic through a complex and strategic section of the road network in Bahrain.

More than 6,000 vehicles use the intersection every hour.-TradeArabia News Service