Bahrain and Qatar leaders, during a bilateral meeting, reviewed developments on the Bahrain-Qatar Causeway Project and directed concerned authorities to complete the necessary plans to initiate the implementation of the project.
The review took place during a meeting between His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani in Manama.
The two leaders also reviewed the Bahrain-Qatar partnership and ways to further bolster cooperation.
The causeway will link the northern region of Qatar to the eastern coast of Bahrain. Once completed, the approximately 40 km Qatar-Bahrain Causeway will reduce the travel duration between Bahrain and Qatar from five hours to 30 minutes.
The causeway will have a dual two-lane highway, accompanied by a rail platform, featuring a total of four lanes.
The bridge project was planned to be built during the last decade but was stalled following a regional crisis.
Under a MoU signed in 2005 to launch the project, a joint institution was formed and it was entrusted with managing, maintaining and operating the causeway and investing in its facilities.
The project holds a significantly positive impact in promoting the strong and historical ties between the citizens of the two countries and it will achieve their aspirations for rapprochement and ease of travel, he had stated.
A 2004 report in Gulf Construction said Danish engineering consultancy group Cowi International had provided a preliminary design for the causeway.
About half of the causeway will consist of bridges and the rest of a highway built on reclaimed land. Flyovers will be as high as 40 m above sea level at one point to allow ship crossings.
The project was expected to take four years to build.
Trade Arabia News Service
