Bahrain’s King Fahd Causeway set to open new gates on the Saudi side

Bahrain’s King Fahd Causeway has completed a renovation project which will see the bridge’s passenger capacity by 45 per cent when it reopens.

The project was carried out by the King Fahd Causeway Authority (KFCA) when passenger travel was suspended in March to stop the spread of the Covid-19.

Renovation works include the introduction of new gates on the Saudi side and dedicated e-payment lanes to facilitate processing of the bridge toll on both sides.

The causeway connects Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and “bears considerable economic importance for both countries, particularly for their tourism sectors”, a statement said.

Bahrain welcomed 11.1 million visitors last year, with 9.7 million (88 per cent) arriving via the King Fahd Causeway, according to tourism data for 2019.

Bahrain Customs also recently installed AI scanners at the King Fahd Causeway, automating data collection and allowing shipment inspections to take place before reaching the border.

“This has greatly increased both the speed and capacity for processing”, with trade between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia up 15 per cent growth in the first quarter of this year, according to the statement.

The commercial shipping of necessary goods across King Fahd Causeway has continued during the virus outbreak.

King Fahd Causeway, which was opened in 1986, is one of the busiest land border crossings in the Middle East with an estimated 390 million passengers having used the bridge since its opening.