A traffic impact study could delay construction of a proposed car-park at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) in Bahrain.

Work on the BD6 million ($15.9 million) facility, covering 2,600 sq m, was due to start later this year, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

However, Health Ministry finance and technical affairs assistant under-secretary Maher Anis said authorities first needed to conduct a study on traffic flow.

"A traffic impact study both inside and outside the hospital campus is vital before we plan or design the car-parking facility at SMC," Anis told the GDN.

"The study will analyse the effect of the construction on traffic flow inside the hospital, as well as on various main roads around SMC that lead to the hospital.

"This will also include the preparation of a general plan for SMC in terms of determining the location for the car-park and designs for the expansion of streets inside and outside the hospital.

"It might take time and the planning phase for the car-park itself might start only after that, which could be after the second quarter of 2015.

"Tenders for the study will close on Wednesday, subsequent to which work will be awarded to the chosen company - the process is expected to be completed by the end of April.

"The chosen company will have to tell us how much time they require to analyse this impact and we have to study their analysis in co-operation with the Works Ministry.

"Only after these steps can we start planning or designing the car-park in SMC."

The new car-park is included in a BD15-million programme to develop infrastructure at SMC, announced last year.

The schemes also included a BD6-million ($15.9 million) power station and a BD4 million outpatient clinic, apart from the BD31,000 expansion of the Accident and Emergency Department, which was completed in November. - TradeArabia News Service