North Town road work completed

Manama : Work on the road leading to North Town, which consists of eight lanes, has been completed, Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs & Urban Planning Essam bin Abdulla Khalaf has said.

According to the Minister, the Western entrance to North Town is designed to accommodate the population in the area, and is capable of handling 16,000 vehicles per hour daily; that is 30 per cent of the population in the area. This aims to cope with the present population and serve the completed housing units. Fifteen housing units are expected to be constructed, which calls for the construction of new entrances to the area.

The project aims to link North Town to the roads network of the Kingdom, where the internal roads are to be implemented by the Housing Ministry, while the main roads surrounding North Town, all entrances and exits, will be implemented by the Works Ministry.

The first and main link to North Town from the West side is seen as a vital project, as it will connect North Town to Janabiya & Budaiya Interchange. Work comprises of constructing a 1.2km long road with 4 lanes in each direction; connecting Janabiya-Budaiya Interchange to North Town. The road includes a 135m long bridge above the marine channel, therefore providing a smooth traffic flow and increasing the road capacity. Work also includes installing safety barriers, pedestrian barriers, signage, lighting (during this week), implementing stormwater drainage channels, extending sewerage and treated water lines, providing special tracks on both sides of the highway for other service networks like water, electricity and telecommunications, and afforestation works.

The Works Ministry is presently following-up the technical issues related to the construction of the Eastern access to North Town, in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing. The Eastern entrance is hoped to link Saar Roundabout to North Town. The project comprises of expanding Avenue 36 to a dual road with four lanes, revamping all intersections along the road and connecting it to the Western Entrance of North Town.

In addition, the Ministry is preparing the detailed designs for the expansion of Budaiya Highway to three lanes and replacing the roundabout with traffic signals and constructing a service road along the highway to increase safety levels. Detailed designs for expanding Janabiya Highway into three lanes is also underway, in addition to revamping Jasra Interchange to create a signal-free interchange. Last year, the Ministry completed Phase 1 of Jasra Interchange Revamp Project and is presently working on the implementation of Phase 2 of the project. In addition, the detailed designs for the expansion of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Highway into 4 & 5 lanes are underway. Phase 1 is expected to commence in the 3rd quarter of this year. Once work on the North Town is completed, it is vital that all entrances to the Town are completed.