Since the start of the summer holidays, long lines of traffic have daily jammed the King Fahd Causeway which is the only bridge connecting the Eastern Province to the island nation of Bahrain. Motorists and travelers who wish to cross this border bridge have been spending three to four hours in long queues waiting to complete passport formalities ever since the vacation period began. Most foreign airlines in the Eastern Province provide their passengers with connecting flights from Bahrain and with airline bus service to cross the Causeway. Since this is the vacation season, airline buses operate every half hour from Al-Khobar via the Saudi Arabian Bahrain Transport Company (SABTCO). The rush from Al-Khobar to cross the Causeway begins around noon with traffic growing heavier later in the day. Many people return to Bahrain after their work in the Eastern Province, especially Westerners and some Saudis who are married to Bahraini nationals and reside in Bahrain. Moreover, Bahrain has prepared its fun parks, shopping malls, hotels and entertainment venues to receive summer holidaymakers. With schools closed, many Saudi families in the Eastern Province cross the border regularly to enjoy the evening in Bahrain. “There are lots of entertainment facilities for children as well as families and my children love to spend their free time in Bahrain, especially at Seef Mall, the beach and the various fun parks,” said Abu Fahd who sends his family with his driver to Bahrain twice a week. Expatriates in the Eastern Province who have multiple exit-entry visas often spend their weekends in Bahrain. Roy Gonzalez, an Indian expatriate who lives with his family in Dammam, said, “For the past four years we have gone to Bahrain every weekend to visit my relatives and friends. I find that it is a good change for me from my routine office work.” A lot of private taxis and car rental agencies operating from Dammam and Al-Khobar make good money taking passengers from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain. Nowadays frequent travelers to Bahrain via the King Fahd Causeway are familiar with the long wait and have a ready supply of drinking water, snacks, and chocolates in their vehicles. The Causeway authorities recently began expansion projects costing SR 62.5 million in order to ease the increasing traffic congestion on the causeway.
