Bahraini authorities have begun work on the development of Avenue 41 between 4109 and 4103 in Isa Town to help facilitate traffic flow in the Educational Area, which currently sees bottlenecks during peak periods.

This comes in line with the directives of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, to develop urgent solutions to congestion and improve the flow of traffic throughout the kingdom, said a statement from the Ministry of Works, Municipalities and Urban Planning.

Once completed, the project will help facilitate traffic movement leading to and from Shaikh Salman Highway, where a street will be constructed leading to road 4013. The number of vehicles currently using this street reaches 10,000 per day in both directions, and a rate of 2,000 per hour during peak times.

These improvement works will double the intake capacity of the street and increase the traffic flow by 70 per cent.

This project is part of the government’s comprehensive programme of improvements to the roads in the Educational Area, the first tranche of which commenced early last year and saw traffic directions amended and the road expanded between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Information Affairs.

The Educational Area is a key focus of the ministry, which has prioritised projects to enhance traffic flow in this area and alleviate congestion during peak times. This vital area includes 10 schools, University of Bahrain-affiliated buildings, Bahrain Polytechnic, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Information, Informatics & E-Government Authority, the previous Central Governorate headquarters, and other important institutions.

These works were followed by the opening of a new access inlet to the Educational Area from Shaikh Salman Highway, it stated.

The ministry pointed out that once the project gets completed, it would help connect incoming traffic flow between Bahrain Polytechnic College and Bahrain Training Institute and regulate entry from the main gates overlooking the Ministry of Information.

The project will also connect the traffic between Avenue 16 December and Shaikh Salman Highway by expanding the street into a two-directional road, improving key intersections, and the expanding roundabouts, it stated.

According to the ministry, these projects constitute part of the comprehensive plan to develop the kingdom’s transport network launched last year.

The programme, which is being funded by the Gulf Development Programme to the tune of $1.2 billion, is expected to result in a quantum transformation of Bahrain’s road network, and help to accommodate ongoing urbanisation, residential development projects, and exponential population growth.-TradeArabia News Service