Sajid Aratupuzha
Dammam: Three and a half decades have passed since the life of the people started flowing through the King Fahd Causeway, which was built to cross the sea between the two countries. The sea bridge between Al-Khobar in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and Al-Jasraq in Bahrain was opened to public traffic in 1986.
During these 36 years, the 25 km road has been made possible by the extraordinary achievements in the history of growth of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Being able to travel between the two countries within half an hour has helped billions of lives leap forward into prosperity.
Lakhs travel on this road every day. The construction of the causeway was planned in 1965 with the aim of strengthening the connection between the two neighboring countries and facilitating traffic.
It was a remarkable but adventurous decision to build a 25 km long bridge across the strait between the two countries. Such a path was necessary for two countries with different ways of life to grow together amid cultural unity.
High-class construction companies and designers from the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia participated in the construction of the causeway. The road was constructed using 47,000 tonnes of steel.
and H.J. The construction was completed using the latest technology systems of the day from leading Dutch machining companies such as Grimbergen and B.V. It was opened for traffic in 1986 after 21 years of construction work. This was turning out to be an important piece of history.
People began to flow to and fro both countries. Normally more than 10 lakh vehicles pass through this bridge every month. There has also been a situation where commuters are sometimes stuck on the bridge for five to six hours due to rush hour. With this, in 2010, development of 53 lakh Rials was done. The number of lanes has been increased from 10 to 17 to accommodate vehicles. With this, it was possible to reduce the traffic significantly. The King Fahd Causeway Authority said that 25.9 lakh people crossed the bridge last July. 12.9 lakh people traveled from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia and 13 lakh people traveled back. Causeway is gaining importance every day. King Fahd Causeway continues its journey into history as a magnificent structure after three and a half decades of playing a crucial role in the growth of both countries.