MPs Call for Action on Budaiya Traffic

Quotes: MP Jalal Al-Kadhem: “Traffic coming from four major roads is effectively funnelled into two lanes, creating daily queues and bringing movement to a standstill during peak periods,”

• MPs are calling for a grade-separated flyover at Budaiya Junction to tackle daily congestion.

• The BD29.19 million Budaiya Highway project will widen the road to three lanes in each direction.

• A wider review of junctions, traffic lights, U-turns and connections to Janabiya and Salman Town has been proposed.

MPs are calling for a flyover at Budaiya Junction as part of a broader plan to tackle persistent traffic congestion in the area.

The proposal, led by MP Jalal Kadhem Al-Mahfoodh, comes as work begins on the long-awaited Budaiya Highway development project, with lawmakers urging authorities to pursue more comprehensive traffic solutions alongside the highway upgrade.

Mr Al Mahfoodh said congestion at Budaiya Junction had become one of the Northern Governorate’s major traffic bottlenecks and could no longer be addressed simply by adding more lanes.

He has called for an urgent engineering study into the feasibility of a grade-separated flyover, together with redesigned junctions, wider entrances and exits and additional U-turn facilities.

“Traffic coming from four major roads is effectively funnelled into two lanes, creating daily queues and bringing movement to a standstill during peak periods,” he said.

According to the MP, traffic problems are no longer limited to morning and afternoon rush hours, with motorists experiencing delays throughout the day and into the evening.

The Budaiya Highway project covers approximately 6.7 kilometres, stretching between the Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Highway junction in the east and the Janabiya Highway junction in the west.

The BD29.19 million project will widen the highway to three lanes in each direction and upgrade intersections along the route. It will also include service roads, pavements, parking areas, a stormwater drainage network, utility works, street lighting, landscaping and traffic safety measures.

However, Mr Al Mahfoodh said the development should go beyond conventional road widening.

“The development of Budaiya Highway must not be limited to traditional widening,” he said, calling for a comprehensive traffic solution that addresses bottlenecks and improves connections between Budaiya, Janabiya and the entrances to Salman Town.

He also called for a review of traffic lights along Janabiya Road and the road serving Salman Town, particularly where closely spaced signals contribute to stop-and-go traffic.

Where engineering and safety assessments allow, he said some signals should be replaced with free-flow intersections, flyovers and dedicated U-turn facilities.

Mr Al Mahfoodh said the rapid expansion of Salman Town and surrounding villages had significantly increased traffic demand in the area.

Thousands of homes, schools, health centres and government and community facilities have added pressure to a road network originally designed to serve a smaller population.

He said future population and urban growth should be incorporated into current infrastructure planning rather than addressed after congestion worsens.

“We should not wait for congestion to become worse before acting,” he said. “The population and urban expansion are continuing, so our road network must be developed ahead of demand.”

The MP said the proposed flyover, redesigned junctions and changes to traffic-light arrangements should form part of one integrated traffic plan for the area.

He added that residents should be able to reach their homes, workplaces, schools and essential services without spending long periods stuck in traffic.

The proposal has been referred by Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al Musallam to the Public Utilities and Environment Affairs Committee for review with the relevant authorities.