Qatar–Bahrain Causeway

__NOTOC__ {{Infobox Bridge | bridge_name = Qatar Bahrain Bridge | image = | image_size = 250px | caption = Computer rendered image of Bahrain Qatar Causeway. | official_name = | also_known_as = Qatar Bahrain Friendship Bridge | carries = Motor vehicle and Rail | crosses = Gulf of Bahrain | locale = Bahrain and Qatar | maint = Qatar and Bahrain Causeway Foundation | id = | design = | mainspan = | length = {{convert|40|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} | width = | clearance = | below = | traffic = | open = Work in Progress | closed = | toll = | coordinates = {{coord|26|1|22|N|50|48|8|E|display=inline,title}} | lat = | long = }}

The '''Qatar Bahrain Causeway''' (also referred to as the '''Qatar Bahrain Friendship Bridge''') is a planned causeway between the two Arab states of Qatar and Bahrain. It was also expected that a ferry service would be established between the two countries in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-11-14|title=First Qatar to Bahrain ferry service to launch next year|url=https://www.dohanews.co/first-qatar-to-bahrain-ferry-service-to-launch-next-year/|access-date=2021-07-25|website=Doha News {{!}} Qatar|language=en-US}}</ref>

Due to the Qatar diplomatic crisis and Bahrain's siding with Saudi Arabia, plans to construct the bridge had stalled. That crisis was resolved in 2021 with the re-establishment of diplomatic trade and transportation ties. On 17 November 2023 during a meeting between Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, the plan for the bridge recommenced and they ordered administrations of both countries to realise the project.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bna.bh/.aspx?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDkspUQemAc7%2BZSmbsSBloi0%3D |title=سمو ولي العهد رئيس مجلس الوزراء يستقبل رئيس مجلس الوزراء وزير الخارجية بدولة قطر الشقيقة |publisher=Bahrain News Agency |date=17 November 2023 |language=ar |access-date=2024-03-09}}</ref>

==History== It was announced on 13 December 2008 that construction would start in early 2009,<ref>[http://www.menafn.com/menafn/1093224108/Work-on-QatarBahrain-causeway-to-start-next-month "Work on Qatar-Bahrain causeway to start next month"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722212042/http://www.menafn.com/menafn/1093224108/Work-on-QatarBahrain-causeway-to-start-next-month |date=2015-07-22 }}</ref> and would cost approximately US$2.3 billion to complete. As of June 2015, construction had not started, and the Qatar–Bahrain Causeway project was on hold, while the contracting consortium involved with the project was said to be demobilising, according to a source at the Qatar Bahrain Causeway Foundation (QBCF).<ref>[https://archive.today/20130411041534/http://www.indisteel.com/news_article/qatar-bahrain-causeway-usd4-bln-project-hold-says-qatar-bahrain-causeway-foundation "Qatar-Bahrain Causeway USD4 bln project on hold - says Qatar Bahrain Causeway Foundation"]</ref> On 14 January 2011, Bahrain's Foreign Minister stated that the project should nevertheless be considered as a must for both countries: "This is one economic market, one economic zone that should be well-connected, and the bridge is an integral part of that".<ref>[https://www.meed.com/sectors/construction/qatar-bahrain-causeway-still-planned/3098794.article "Qatar-Bahrain Causeway still planned - MEED.com - 24 May 2011"]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=296132 |title="GREEN LIGHT" |access-date=2011-01-14 |archive-date=2015-07-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723104212/http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=296132 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 27 April 2011, an announcement was made, quoting an anonymous source of Bahrain's Al Wasat newspaper, that construction of the causeway would start in 2011 for completion in 2015, at the cost of approximately $5 billion.<ref>[http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/150343-qatar-bahrain-causeway-to-be-ready-by-2015.html "Qatar-Bahrain causeway to be ready by 2015"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120918051254/http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/150343-qatar-bahrain-causeway-to-be-ready-by-2015.html |date=2012-09-18 }}</ref> By December 2012, Bahrain's Foreign Minister was invoking financial turbulence to say that the bridge construction would only be completed by "a little before the 2022 FIFA World Cup."<ref>[http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/219002-qatar-bahrain-causeway-faces-delay-says-minister.html "Qatar-Bahrain causeway faces delay, says minister"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130411230028/http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/219002-qatar-bahrain-causeway-faces-delay-says-minister.html |date=2013-04-11 }}</ref>

==Overview== The link between the two countries would be approximately {{convert|40|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} in length, and support both a road and a railway.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.meed.com/sectors/transport/rail/setting-standards-for-the-gcc-rail-network/3008867.article|access-date=2010-11-05|title=Setting standards for the GCC rail network | publisher = MEED}}</ref> The link was expected to consist of a number of bridges and be a natural extension of the King Fahd Causeway that connects Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, thus linking the entire region. These links include {{convert|18|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} of artificial dikes and {{convert|22|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} of viaducts and bridges. These bridges would be {{convert|40|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in height at places to allow maritime navigation. The eastern-end of the causeway in Qatar would be located at Ras Eshairij, {{convert|5|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} South of the city of Zubarah. The opposite end of the causeway would link North of Askar in the Kingdom of Bahrain. [[File:Qatar rel95.jpg| thumb|300px|right| Qatar and Bahrain (island in top left). UAE and Saudi Arabia (bottom).]] Plans for its construction were first made in September 2001, when the Danish consultancy COWI signed a DKK 60 million contract for the first phase of the project with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture in Qatar.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130412104032/http://www.sundogbaelt.dk/uk/menu/area-of-business/partner-as/projects/international-projects "The Qatar Bahrain causeway, Qatar Bahrain"]</ref> Together with Sund & Bælt Partner Ltd.,<ref>[http://www.sb-partner.com/current/bahrain.htm Sund & Bælt Partner Ltd] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070619011322/http://www.sb-partner.com/current/bahrain.htm |date=June 19, 2007 }}</ref> DHI Water & Environment and the architects of Dissing Weitling and COWI conducted pre-studies of the link.<ref>[http://www.cowi.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/cowi/en/menu/03.%20Projects/03.%20Transport/6.%20Bridges/Other%20file%20types/0233-1702-057e-02b-low.pdf "Qatar - Bahrain Causeway"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081117184428/http://www.cowi.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/cowi/en/menu/03.%20Projects/03.%20Transport/6.%20Bridges/Other%20file%20types/0233-1702-057e-02b-low.pdf |date=November 17, 2008 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.cowi.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/cowi/en/menu/03.%20Projects/01.%20Nature/4.%20Coastal%20engineering/Other%20file%20types/0233-1703-091e-low.pdf "Modelling Studies for the Qatar/Bahrain Causeway Project"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081117071624/http://www.cowi.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/cowi/en/menu/03.%20Projects/01.%20Nature/4.%20Coastal%20engineering/Other%20file%20types/0233-1703-091e-low.pdf |date=November 17, 2008 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.cowi.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/cowi/en/menu/02.%20Services/01.%20Nature/1.%20Natural%20resources%20management/Other%20file%20types/0214-1301-003e-00a_Qatar-Bahrain-LOW.pdf "Environmental Impact Assessment Qatar – Bahrain Causeway"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204053451/http://www.cowi.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/cowi/en/menu/02.%20Services/01.%20Nature/1.%20Natural%20resources%20management/Other%20file%20types/0214-1301-003e-00a_Qatar-Bahrain-LOW.pdf |date=December 4, 2008 }}</ref>

==Milestones== The project was reportedly approved for construction on 28 February 2005, to link Bahrain near Manama to northwest Qatar near Zubarah as the longest fixed link in the world.<ref>"USD4.8bn Qatar, Bahrain causeway" (article dated Feb. 28, 2005, consulted Oct. 7, 2007) {{cite web|url=http://www.ameinfo.com/54824.html |title=USD4.8bn Qatar, Bahrain causeway | Real Estate |access-date=April 9, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195724/http://www.ameinfo.com/54824.html |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref> A formal agreement between the two countries was signed on 11 June 2006 to form a company that would raise the necessary capital and initiate construction.<ref>"Bahrain-Qatar Causeway Construction to Begin" (article dated June 12, 2006, consulted Oct. 7, 2007) [https://web.archive.org/web/20060824095054/http://www.bahraingateway.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=document.home&id=218]</ref>

It was announced on 30 September 2007 that construction should start within seven months and last 48 months.<ref>"Construction of Bahrain-Qatar causeway to start next year" (article dated Sept. 30, 2007, consulted Oct. 7, 2007 {{cite web|url=http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/09/30/10157076.html |title=Gulfnews: Construction of Bahrain-Qatar causeway to start next year |access-date=October 6, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071106082057/http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/09/30/10157076.html |archive-date=November 6, 2007 }}</ref> A memorandum of understanding to that effect was then signed between the Qatar and Bahrain Causeway Foundation and a consortium of companies led by French construction major Vinci Construction and the French bridge Architects LAVIGNE Cheron and the German Company Hochtief Construction AG, CCC and Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company.

On 15 November 2008, the Qatar–Bahrain Causeway Foundation awarded a contract to KBR, an engineering company headquartered in Houston, "''to provide design, project and construction management services for the Qatar-Bahrain road and rail marine crossing"''.<ref>[http://www.kbr.com/Newsroom/Press-Releases/2008/11/13/KBR-Awarded-Contract-by-Qatar-Bahrain-Causeway-Foundation-for-Project-Management-of-Worlds-Longest-Marine-Causeway/ "KBR Awarded Contract by Qatar-Bahrain Causeway Foundation for Project Management of World's Longest Marine Causeway"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116113239/http://www.kbr.com/Newsroom/Press-Releases/2008/11/13/KBR-Awarded-Contract-by-Qatar-Bahrain-Causeway-Foundation-for-Project-Management-of-Worlds-Longest-Marine-Causeway/ |date=January 16, 2013 }}</ref>

In 2009, discussions were entered into to soften the gradient of the bridge to make it more suitable for rail traffic.<ref>[https://www.meed.com/news/2009/03/rail_link_forces_redesign_of_bridge_between_qatar_and_bahrain.html "Rail link forces redesign of bridge between Qatar and Bahrain"]</ref> French architects Thomas Lavigne and Christophe Cheron joined the consortium led by Vinci to design, in collaboration with the engineers, the Causeway and the two main bridges.

In May 2010, Qatari coastguards injured a Bahraini fisherman reigniting a dispute over the Hawar Islands. Escalating costs and the subsequent diplomatic row helped place the project on the back burner.<ref>"Qatar Bahrain Causeway in doubt" (article dated June 16, 2010, consulted Oct. 3, 2010) [https://web.archive.org/web/20100619043153/http://www.menainfra.com/news/qatar-bahrain-causeway-in-doubt/]</ref>

In November 2023, the causeway project was discussed during a meeting in Manama between Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Bahrain’s Crown Prince.<ref>"Qatar and Bahrain forge ahead with bridge project in fourth committee meeting" (article dated February 21, 2024) [https://dohanews.co/qatar-and-bahrain-forge-ahead-with-bridge-project-in-fourth-committee-meeting/]</ref>

On February 22, 2024, it has been announced that the proposed land border crossing between Bahrain and Qatar has received a fresh boost as officials from two sides have agreed to restructure the board of the project as part of its implementation. This was discussed during the fourth meeting of the Bahrain-Qatari Follow-up Committee held in Manama.<ref>"Bahrain-Qatar Causeway project receives fresh boost" (article dated February 22, 2024) [https://www.zawya.com/en/world/middle-east/bahrain-qatar-causeway-project-receives-fresh-boost-gfp0kjqt]</ref>

== References == {{Reflist|30em}}

== External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090522132919/http://www.vinci-construction-projects.com/projets.nsf/en/video-01.htm Video simulation of the Bridge at ''Vinci Construction''] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706141810/http://www.itbhu.org/chronicle/archives/vkraina/Introduction-to-Bahrain-Qatar-Causeway-Sea-Link.pdf Bridge Engineering Study] * [https://www.qataridiar.com/ Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071214142617/http://www.qatarvisitor.com/index.php?cID=413&pID=1260 Qatar Bahrain Causeway at ''Qatarvisitor.com'']

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qatar-Bahrain Causeway}} Category:International bridges Category:Bridges in Qatar Category:Bridges in Bahrain Category:Proposed bridges in Asia Category:Bahrain–Qatar border crossings