KUWAIT CITY, April 14: The issue of road traffic density and congestion was the main subject of discussions conducted by Dr. Yousef Y. Al Hassan who spoke about “New mega traffic projects in Kuwait” Tuesday at the Aware Center in Surra.
According to Dr Hassan, road traffic accidents are one of the world’s largest public health and injury problems and governments the world over are aiming to reduce the harm through deaths, injuries and damage to property on the highway system from traffic collisions, by improving design, construction and regulation of roads, the type of vehicles that use them and also the training of drivers and other road-users; also, improvement of road safety needs to be balanced with the provision of an effective transport system (mass transport).
Some 1.2 million people have been killed with 50 million injured on the roads around the world, according to a 2004 World Health Organization estimate, and it is also the leading cause of death among children 10-19 years of age( 260,000 children die a year and 10 million injured), according to data.
Among contributing factors are: driver error; illness or fatigue, driving under the influence; vehicle defects (brake, steering, or throttle failures); or the road itself (lack of sight distance, poor roadside clear zones, etc.).
In Kuwait, he said, most accidents can be attributed mostly to driver error (reckless, irresponsible driving) and road designs are critical in addressing the problem of traffic density and congestions. He also added that the lack of an effective traffic routing model in Kuwait is one main reason for the traffic congestion that has plagued the country.
It was in this context that he mentioned the vital need for serious, careful and thorough study of plans and designs be made before  the building of roads and expressways are undertaken and which he added, are interlinked with the planned mega-projects that are in various stages of planning, design and implementation.
He cited Subiyah causeway as one of the most ambitious civil engineering projects ever undertaken in the Middle East. Approximately 37 kms (16 miles) long with an elevation of 200 feet to allow for maritime traffic, the causeway, he said, will stretch across the bay to link th new town of Subiyah to Kuwait City. Two artificial islands will also be created to support the six-lane bridge, which is taking five years to construct at an estimated cost of $1.5 billiion.
Another mega project is the planned construction of the biggest seaport in the Middle East on Bubiyan Island, the biggest among Kuwait’s islands, with a container terminal that will have a capacity of 1 million to 2.5 million containers.
Other projects associated with the new facility will include the construction of a bridge linking the island to the mainland via the new Subiyah town, a free trade zone, large warehouses and tourist facilities; with plans underfoot to build a railway connecting Bubiyan port with Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Another mega project is the expansion of the capacity of Kuwait International Airport from 6 million passengers to 20 million with the construction of a new terminal building that will be linked to the existing terminal via a tunnel and connected to a new access road to the south.
He also mention the building of a new university town near the 6th ring road, a project being undertaken by Kuwait University which will have three campuses: one for women, one for men, and a medical college complete with large, modern hospital, among several of the mega-projects.
To sum up, Dr Yousef Y. Hassan said traffic management, roads and highway construction and community infrastructure  projects are all interconnected.