Project linking Alba and Nuwaidrat interchanges is 67% complete
CONSTRUCTION work on a major project linking the Alba and Nuwaidrat interchanges is 67 per cent complete, it has been announced.
The BD46.8 million project is expected to be fully operational by the end of this year, said Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf during an inspection visit to the site.
The project includes the transformation of the current Alba roundabout into a three-level intersection consisting of a traffic light-operated land intersection.
It will also include a three-lane flyover heading in two directions, transporting traffic between the King Hamad Highway and Estiqlal Highway, along with a two-way flyover going over the first one to connect the Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah Highway to King Hamad Highway.
The project also includes the transformation of the Nuwaidrat roundabout into a two-level intersection, one with traffic light signals and the other being a three-lane flyover.
Mr Khalaf said in a statement issued yesterday that the construction of the flyover in Nuwaidrat was 100pc completed and that work was underway on the retaining walls for the western side and the eastern side of the flyover.
“The unidirectional flyover (in Nuwaidrat) will transport traffic from Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah Highway to King Hamad Highway, and work is currently underway on the construction of the retaining walls of the flyover on those highways in preparation for the expected opening during the fourth quarter of this year,” said Mr Khalaf.
“Work is also underway on the Alba flyover; the part within the limits of the former roundabout is completed and work is currently underway on the construction of the columns and the section of the flyover on King Hamad Highway and Estiqlal Highway.”
Mr Khalaf also highlighted the importance of staying on schedule despite a two-month ban on outdoor work coming into force between midday and 4pm in July and August.
He said shift changes have been made to get around the hottest hours of the day and to ensure the project was on track.
Labourers under the first shift will work from 1.30am to noon and the second shift will start from 4pm to 1.30am.
Mr Khalaf also confirmed the completion of 75pc of construction work on a rainwater drainage network, which will connect to several networks in the area. The project is part of a string of infrastructure schemes and developments across Bahrain financed by the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development.They include the development of Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah Highway, the transformation of the Budaiya and Janabiya highways into three-lanes in each direction, and expanding Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Highway into four lanes.
Under the programme, a $23 million disability complex in A’ali will be completed in the third quarter of this year, while a social care centre benefiting people with special needs and the elderly will be constructed in Isa Town.
Another social care complex providing help to juveniles and victims of physical and psychological abuse along with sexual assault and domestic violence will be constructed in Hamad Town, costing $19m.
A new agricultural complex will also be constructed on an area covering 20,060sqm in Hoorat A’ali and will include 12 agricultural labs specialising in plants, water, soil and tissue, in addition to other facilities and a car park accommodating 33 cars.
