Bælt Partner Ltd., DHI Water & Environment and the architects of Dissing Weitling and COWI conducted pre-studies of the link. 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. 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. It was announced on 30 September 2007 that construction should start within seven months and last 48 months. 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 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". In 2009, discussions were entered into to soften the gradient of the bridge to make it more suitable for rail traffic. 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. See also List of longest bridges in the world Transport in Bahrain Transport in Qatar Bahrain light rail network King Hamad Causeway References External links Video simulation of the Bridge at Vinci Construction Bridge Engineering Study Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company Qatar Bahrain Causeway at Qatarvisitor.com International bridges Bridges in Qatar Bridges in Bahrain Proposed bridges in Asia Bahrain–Qatar border crossings