Business & Finance Club - Al-Khobar : Bahrain's King Fahad Causeway, that connects the Kingdom to Saudi Arabia, could soon be handling 100 million passengers a year as per a long-term plan that includes creating two artificial islands - each 400,000sqm.

One artificial island will be located on Bahrain's side of the causeway and the other at the Saudi end. Work will start next year.

Saudi customs manager and King Fahad Causeway director-general Saleh Al Khileiwi told a Press conference on Saturday that tenders will soon be issued for this major project.

Each of the islands will include 48 lanes for incoming and outgoing traffic, he said. This will represent an increase of 167 per cent.

The expansion will accommodate small-sized vehicles, with plans for an additional 20 lanes and four lanes for buses on either side.

Eight lanes on either side will be allocated for trucks and a customs cargo yard will be built to house 400 trucks at a time, in addition to waiting yards that will accommodate 400 trucks on either side of the causeway.

A consultative company has been assigned to prepare a comprehensive study to develop the causeway in the next 20 years.