DAMMAM: King Fahd Causeway Authority has started to implement a fingerprint system for travelers between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The step is aimed at facilitating travel procedures and ending overcrowding on the bridge. The authority ruled out the possibility of imposing any fee increases until development projects are completed in 2015. This includes the two new service islands on an area of 800,000 square meters that will provide 48 departure lanes on each side, raise the capacity of the bridge to 4,000 cars per hour, have four new bus lanes, and a customs area with the capacity for 400 trucks. Ghannam Al-Ghannam, Director of the bridge's customs department, said the fingerprint system consists of ground sensors and cameras that scan the vehicle's plate numbers and the driver's fingerprints to check for ownership of the vehicle.
