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Manama, November 26 (BNA) The King Fahd Causeway, a series of bridges and bridges linking Bahrain Island with the Saudi mainland, celebrates its 35th anniversary today.
The impressively designed bridge, the only terrestrial link between Bahrain and another country, is named after the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Work on a bridge 25 kilometers long and 23.3 meters wide began in 1981 after studies on many geographical and technical details, environmental factors and ocean currents.
It was opened to the public on November 26, 1986 during a grand ceremony attended by the late King Fahd and His Highness the late Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
Recently cars, buses, trucks and motorcycles are steadily using the link to travel quite smoothly in both directions, reinforcing its political, economic, social and cultural importance as more than just a road bridge for millions of people, kingdoms and beyond. About 400 million people have used the bridge since it opened.
For most people, the bridge epitomizes the ease with which they are able to travel between the two countries
Many Saudi nationals and foreigners residing in Saudi Arabia who work or study in Bahrain commute daily while a large number of Bahraini and Bahraini expatriates use the road daily to go to their work or universities.
Strong family ties between Gulf nationals are an important factor in the exchange of visits across the bridge. Shopping complexes and entertainment facilities are also among the main reasons for excursions.
As the bridge became one of the busiest links in the Arab world, drastic changes were introduced to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.
Plans to build a second bridge, the King Hamad Causeway, named after His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, are still being implemented.
The new bridge will be used by passenger and freight trains as well as vehicles. The railways will be part of the wider GCC rail network, which is 2,170 kilometers long.