Gulf Construction Online - $300m flyover bid extended

Regional News

$300m flyover bid extended

01 March 2009

BAHRAIN’s Works Ministry has extended the deadline for tenders for the country’s largest flyover until March 18 after bidders asked for an extension.

To be built at a cost of BD114 million ($300.2 million), the 2.2-km flyover will start from the Diplomat Hotel junction and cross King Faisal Highway, providing access to Bahrain Bay and Bahrain Financial Harbour, according to Essam Khalaf, assistant under-secretary of roads for the Works Ministry.
“It will also provide a future crossing to Busaiteen,” he said, adding that the project is expected to give a lot of relief to traffic at Diplomat junction and Al Fateh Highway.
The two-level viaduct will be the largest flyover in Bahrain.
Khalaf said work on the project will start only after the government approves the budget for the same. “Once the work is launched, it will take 30 months for completion,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Works Ministry is going ahead with its project of replacing various roundabouts in the country with signals, the latest project being at the Al Hekma School Roundabout in Sanad.
Work on this BD2.2-million project is in progress. Besides converting the roundabout into a signal, the project also includes the upgrading of the Al Estiqlal Highway with car-park facilities and the construction of access roads to the offices of the Akhbar Al Khaleej and Gulf Daily News newspapers.
Plans are also under way to replace the roundabout near Shaikh Hamad Palace on the Palace Avenue in Gudaibiya with a signal.
“Our plan is to replace only those roundabouts which experience heavy traffic congestion with signals. Those in residential areas and with low traffic will continue as roundabouts,” he said.