Frustration grows amongst King Fahd Causeway travellers

TDT | Manama                                        

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Report by Julia Cassano

The ongoing expansion and maintenance work at the King Fahd Causeway has disrupted travel plans for many the past couple of days.

There is growing frustration amongst those crossing the border, as people continue to experience hours of waiting, traffic jams, and congestion.

The King Fahd Causeway Authority (KFCA) has begun the expansion aimed at increasing the capacity and improving the experience of travellers crossing the bridge.

According to reports, the ongoing expansion will be developed in several stages, beginning with the first stage, aimed to be completed in three months.

Other stages will be completed within a year, according to KFCA.

Nour, an avid causeway passenger, was informed that there was no entry crossing the border, after making a quick trip into Bahrain, planning to leave the same day back to Saudi Arabia.

“I had planned a quick trip to do some shopping as well as have dinner with some friends on Monday to Bahrain, and then travel back to Saudi the same day,” she said.

However, when she was trying to leave back to Saudi Arabia through the Causeway, authorities notified her that she can’t pass the border, and was told to travel back to Bahrain.

“As there was a high amount of traffic that day, the authorities explained to me to travel back to Bahrain. I stayed in a hotel, slept the night, and the next day I travelled back to Saudi,” she said.

The King Fahd Causeway set a new record for the highest number of passengers crossing the border, as more than 136,000 passengers crossed through the border on Saturday, March 4.