The number of departure lanes will be increased from 10 to 17 and the number of arrival lanes from 13 to 18 on both sides.
Local newspapers quoted King Fahd Causeway Authority chief Bader Abdullah Al-Otaishan as saying that the expansion is projected to cost $5.3 million.
The causeway is 25 km in length. The Saudi portion begins at Al-Aziziah, south of Alkhobar, while the Bahraini part begins at Al-Jasra, west of Manama.
The causeway features two roadways 11.6 meters wide, each with two lanes and a curb for emergency parking. The renovation includes construction of a commercial center on the Bahraini side.
“It will have a number of restaurants, coffee shops, a grocery shop, telephone stalls and a shop to meet travelers’ needs,” said Al-Otaishan. “We saw that there was a need for such a center to assist travelers.”
He said work is under way and the center will be completed by the first quarter of next year. A Bahraini health center is also being built to serve travelers and causeway staff.
“It will feature an emergency room and ambulance to serve whoever is using the causeway — travelers or employees,” he said, noting a Saudi health center is also planned for 2011.
A security checkpoint will be set up near the Bahraini entrance of the causeway, in addition to the one near the Saudi entrance.
“It will allow us to control the causeway and close it,” Al-Otaishan said.
The project also includes expanded public utilities such as washrooms and mosques on both sides of the causeway, to be completed by the end of the year.
The two tower restaurants, one Saudi and one Bahraini, will be revamped through a separate project. The towers will be renovated without altering their historic appearance.
Al-Otaishan told local newspapers that tenders for the project on the Saudi side had already been approved, with the Bahraini side set to follow suit shortly.
“An investment company or hotel will win the contract to operate the facility,” he said, adding: “We want it to be of high standard and attract tourists without changing its design.” The expansion project is part of an overall strategy to dramatically increase the number of lanes.
In September 2008, it was reported that the number of immigration lanes on the causeway could be increased to 45 in both directions within the next five years. An anticipated surge in the amount of two-way traffic means authorities are now drawing up a long-term strategy to cope with the demand. The causeway opened in November 1986, and traffic has increased from up to 10,000 vehicles a day to about 45,000 on weekdays and up to 60,000 on weekends. The total number of travelers across the causeway from both countries in 2008 was 17.7 million passengers, or an average of 48,600 passengers per day.
