Manama: More than 23.5 million people used the King Fahad Causeway linking Bahrain with Saudi Arabia last year, an annual report indicates.
According to the report released by the King Fahad Causeway Authority, 23,646,748 people used the 25-kilometre terrestrial link in both directions in 2015, at a daily average of 64,786 travellers in both directions.
The figure marks an increase of 5.8 per cent compared with 2014, Abdul Rahman Bin Saad Al Yahya, the authority’s Director General, said.
According to the report, the total number of passengers who used the King Fahad Causeway in both directions since its inauguration on November 26, 1986, and until December 31, 2015, was 305,402,045.
The report said that 10,427,541 vehicles used the causeway in both directions last year, averaging 28,569 vehicles a day.
The figure reflects an increase of 6.23 per cent compared with 2014 when it was 26,893. In 2013, the number of vehicles that left or entered Bahrain via the causeway was 23,648.
The highest one-day figure for the number of people crossing the causeway was 105,182 on September 27. On that week, September 21-28, the number of travellers reached 514,773.
The figures coincided with the Eid Al Adha holidays in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the Arab and Islamic countries.
The authorities ensured all lanes were opened and increased the staff to speed up clearance procedures and facilitate the flow of traffic.
The causeway was opened by the late King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz and the late Emir Shaikh Eisa Bin Salman Al Khalifa.
It has been a crucial factor in the increase of the numbers of people arriving in Bahrain, mainly from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, and of Bahrain-based people travelling beyond the island kingdom.
Around 5,000 employees work in three shifts on the link.
Drivers who use the causeway pay a BD2.5 (Dh24.36) or a SR 25 (Dh24.49) fee, but no charges are imposed on passengers, regardless of their numbers.
Authorities in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have issued statements about increasing the number of lanes for cars, buses and trucks to help deal with traffic congestion, particularly during the weekends and holidays.
Several Saudi Arabia-based Saudi nationals and foreigners who work or study in Bahrain commute daily while a large number of Bahrain-based expatriates and Bahrainis use the causeway daily to go to their work or universities.
Strong family links between Gulf citizens are a significant factor in the exchange of visits over the causeway.
Movie theatres screening the latest movies and shopping complexes are considered among the top reasons for trips by Saudi families or Saudi Arabia-based foreigners to Manama.
The causeway is also used by trucks, mainly from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, heading towards Bahrain to deliver or pickup products.
