MANAMA: Bahraini authorities have welcomed the proposal by Saudi authorities to enlarge an island near the King Fahd Causeway which will facilitate the movement of traffic and open doors for commercial tourism projects.
The General Organization for the King Fahd Causeway said it would expand the island by 390,000 sq. m. by 2012; the expansion will amount to 59 percent more space. The authorities are expected to open tenders for the expansion next year.
“This is a good proposal which should have come much earlier as it will benefit both the countries. There will be additional counters for customs clearance which is good news for businessmen and travelers,” said Abdulhakim Al-Shammary, head of the Customs and Port Committee at the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI).
As part of the proposed plan, the island, which is now 660,000 sq. m., will be expanded to about one million sq. m. Instead of the present 10, there will be 48 additional counters to ensure the smooth flow of traffic. Work on 17 counters will begin by the middle of this year.
The Bahrain government had earlier announced plans to increase the capacity of the causeway 300 percent by 2020 in order to accommodate increasing numbers of travelers.
The BCCI is calling for Saudi authorities to open their borders 24 hours a day in order to facilitate the movement of trucks and also to have separate lanes for loaded and unloaded vehicles. On weekends, border authorities have a difficult time handling the increased traffic and as a result, delays and traffic jams are common.
The Undersecretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence announced last week that a total of 1,871,270 people arrived in and exited the Kingdom in February, including 1,480,150 via the causeway.
