Bay project hits traffic snag

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA
PERMISSION to start construction work on the $2.5 billion (BD945 million) Bahrain Bay waterfront residential, commercial and retail district could be delayed by councillors worried over traffic congestion.
Manama Municipal Council wants to change the current proposed entrance and exit routes, saying they could create massive jams in an already congested area.
A council delegation led by technical committee chairman Abdulmajeed Al Sebea'a has urged Bay's officials to find alternate routes, or else it will not give them permission to start construction after reclamation work is finished.
"The current entrance, from near the Diplomat Hotel and exit from the Financial Harbour traffic light is a disaster, if we imagine traffic five years from now," said Mr Al Sebea'a.
"We are not against the project, which as an engineer I believe is magnificent, and this is why we want it to be completed smoothly, without any problems.
"The council takes its decision on whether to allow construction to begin or not from various ministries and government organisations and at the moment we have received no consent from the Works and Housing Ministry roads directorate."
He said that Bay officials were due to meet with neighbouring Financial Harbour and Bahrain City Centre officials to present them with an idea to construct bridges, which are away from congested avenues.
"It (the route) would start from Al Fateh Corniche and end at the Seef District, without flowing into the King Faisal Highway, which is facing huge traffic jams, considering that there are many routes leading to it," said Mr Al Sebea'a.
"We believe that the new adjacent route to be used by new investments on the other side of the King Faisal Highway will help ease congestion a little bit, but until the highway's expansion in 2012, I believe it would be a mess."
Bahrain Bay will include commercial, residential and retail properties, set around the waterfront, with the country's first Four Seasons hotel as the centrepiece. The development will feature outdoor cafes, shops, restaurants and residential properties from high-rise buildings, condominiums, villas and hotel-serviced apartments.
More than 25,000 people are expected to live in the finished development, which is being developed in an area of around two million cubic square metres, and is set for completion in 2011.
The development will also feature the new global headquarters for Arcapita, which is expected to be completed by 2008.
The project is a joint venture between Arcapita Bank and a private Bahrain-based investment group, made up of individuals whose identities are being kept confidential. Mr Al Sebea'a said he was worried about 25,000 more people using the road.
"This is in addition to thousands of workers going there every day," he said.
"We have been receiving complaints from people telling us to urge the concerned ministries to speed up expansion of the highway, because they are forced to wait in traffic queues for more than 45 minutes every day.
"Queues reach up to the Pearl Roundabout flyover and if more projects are built there, then there will be traffic havoc.
"This is why the Bay will be delayed, unless they come up with better routes."