Work has begun on a new left-turn at the intersection between Dry Dock Road and Hatem El Taie road in Hidd area under Muharrraq governorate in bid to improve traffic flow between Shaikh Khalifa Bridge towards Hidd, Muharraq, Amwaj and Diyar Al Muharraq.

The project comes following directives from HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, to develop urgent solutions for easing traffic flow across the kingdom, said a statement from the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning.

The scope of work includes development of two new lanes, increasing the number of lanes to five and delivering a 100 per cent increase in capacity for vehicles turning left towards Hatem Al Tai road, it stated.

Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Essam bin Abdullah Khalaf confirmed that the works form part of a five year strategy to develop road infrastructure in the kingdom, supported by $1.2 billion of funding from the Gulf Development Programme.

The Phase Two of the strategy will include 15 projects, he noted.

A series of safety measures have been included in the project besides setting up of new traffic signals, said the statement from the ministry.

The expansion is expected to expand the capacity of the junction to 1,500 vehicles during rush hour, reducing waiting times by 35 per cent, it added.-TradeArabia News Service