The construction work on a new interchange along Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway in Bahrain is progressing as per schedule, according to the Ministry of Works.

The project - the second such interchange along the highway - is aimed at reducing traffic heading towards Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway from Hamad Town by 40 per cent, it said.

Currently, some  3,500 vehicles per hour use the interchange leading to Roundabout 14 during peak time, it added.

Bahrain’s Works, Municipalities and Urban Planning Minister Essam bin Abdulla Khalaf visited the second interchange along Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway and the road linking Roundabouts 13-18 in Hamad Town, where he inspected progress on the project.

The minister was accompanied by roads assistant undersecretary Huda Fakhro and the team supervising the project, which is among a number of developments being implemented as part of GCC Fund.

Chief of special projects at the road projects and maintenance directorate Sayyed Badir Alawi explained that 10 per cent of the overall project has been completed. Various degrees of completion have been achieved on the components of the project, including the foundations (75 per cent complete), flyover piers (33 per cent) and the road linking Roundabouts 13-18 (35 per cent).

Work on the structure of the flyover is expected to commence in January 2015.  The new flyover will provide a direct access to Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway; specifically for the traffic coming from Roundabout 18 in Hamad Town, the residential areas in the vicinity and also the western villages, and heading north towards Manama.

The project entails construction of a two-direction flyover with two lanes in each direction. The new 24.2-m- wide flyover is to pass over the Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway. Works also include constructing a two-way road with two lanes in each direction extending 1.5 m, connecting roundabouts 13 to 18 in Hamad Town.

The project is considered to be the third entrance to Hamad Town from Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway, following the completion of two previous entrances at Roundabouts 6 and 14, which were implemented by building two traffic-signal-controlled underpasses as part of Phase Five of Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway.

Work has also commenced on a flyover linking Roundabout 18 to Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway, as part of efforts to link Hamad Town to the western villages. 

The BD7.46 million ($19.8 million) project was awarded by the Tender Board, in coordination with the Saudi Development Fund, to a consortium of Nass Contracting and Al Yamama Company. Work is expected to be completed this month -TradeArabia News Service