The first section of the BD50 million ($132.6 million) of one of Bahrain's major flyover projects will be open for traffic in May, with the remaining parts following in quick succession, said a senior government official.

The Isa Town Interchange flyover, which will take traffic from Manama to Sanad, will be completed next September, said Works Ministry public relations and media director Fahad Buallay.

"The contractor, Nass Corporation, is also working towards opening the underpass component of the project, taking traffic from Manama towards Riffa, at the same time," he added.

Construction of the project, which came to a temporary halt after the original contractor Sungwon Corporation was axed in February, was later re-tendered and awarded to Nass Corporation in May.

"There were several complications while building the underpass, including moving public facilities and underground cables, but that has all been accomplished now," said Buallay.

"The whole project, when completed, would be an engineering masterpiece, with three layers of traffic moving in different directions."

Buallay said Works Minister Essam Abdulla Khalaf recently visited the project to take a look at its progress. "His visit coincided with the last piece of pre-cast on the fly-over leading towards Sanad.”

"With the commissioning of the 560-metre underpass, people travelling from Manama towards Riffa will also have considerable ease of access," he added.

Ministry Public Works Affairs Under-Secretary Nayef Al Kalali earlier said the project had faced several key challenges.

These included its proximity to live services and the necessity to adopt a proper sequence in construction and managing the high volumes of traffic through a complex and strategic section of the road network.

During peak hours more than 6,000 cars per hour use the intersection. – TradeArabia News Service