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| Coordinates | 44°25′57″N26°6′14″N |
|---|---|
| Bridge name | King Fahd Causeway |
| Caption | The King Fahd Causeway as seen from space |
| Official name | King Fahd Causeway(جسر الملك فهد) |
| Also known as | Bahrain Bridge, Causeway |
| Carries | Motor vehicles |
| Crosses | Persian Gulf |
| Locale | , |
| Maint | King Fahd Causeway Authority |
| Length | |
| Width | |
| Open | 12, November 1986 |
| Toll | SAR 20 (Small Vehicles) SAR 30 (Light Trucks & Small Bus) SAR 50 (Large Buses) SAR 3 per ton (Trucks) |
| Coordinates | |
| Website | www.kfca.com.sa |
The King Fahd Causeway (, Jisr al-Malik Fahd) is a causeway connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The idea of constructing the causeway was based on improving the links and bonds between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Surveying of the maritime began in 1968, and construction began in 1981 and continued until 1986, when it was officially opened to the public.
On 8 July 1981, Mohammed Aba Al-Khail, the then minister for Finance and National Economy of Saudi Arabia and Yousuf Ahmed Al-Shirawi, the then minister of Industrial Development in Bahrain signed an agreement to start construction on the maritime causeway. On November 11 1982, King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz and Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa unveiled the curtain off the Memorial Panel in an official ceremony attended by the leaders of the GCC states for work on the project to commence. On 11 April 1985, Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa pushed the button required to install the final part of the box bridges thereby finally linking Saudi mainland with the island of Bahrain.
On 26 November 1986, the causeway was officially inaugurated by King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz and Shaikh Isa bin Salman as the King Fahd Causeway.
As of 2008, it is estimated that number of vehicles using the causeway is about 45,000 on weekdays and up to 60,000 on weekends. The total number of travelers across the causeway from both countries in the year 2008 was 17.7 million passengers, or an average of 48,600 passengers per day.
The Border Station was designed as two connected islands, where the west side is designated to Saudi Arabia and the east to Bahrain. The Saudi side of the Border Station has outlets of McDonald's & Kudu.
“It will have a number of restaurants, coffee shops, a grocery shop, telephone stalls and a shop to meet travelers’ needs,” said Al-Otaishan. “We saw that there was a need for such a center to assist travelers.” He said work is under way and the center will be completed by the first quarter of next year. A Bahraini health center is also being built to serve travelers and causeway staff. “It will feature an emergency room and ambulance to serve whoever is using the causeway — travelers or employees,” he said, noting a Saudi health center is also planned for 2011. A security checkpoint will be set up near the Bahraini entrance of the causeway, in addition to the one near the Saudi entrance. “It will allow us to control the causeway and close it,” Al-Otaishan said.
The project also includes expanded public utilities such as washrooms and mosques on both sides of the causeway, to be completed by the end of the year. The two tower restaurants, one Saudi and one Bahraini, will be revamped through a separate project. The towers will be renovated without altering their historic appearance. Al-Otaishan told local newspapers that tenders for the project on the Saudi side had already been approved, with the Bahraini side set to follow suit shortly.
Category:International bridges Category:Bahrain – Saudi Arabia border crossings Category:Causeways Category:Bridges in Bahrain Category:Bridges completed in 1986
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