Over 1,300-kms of major new road projects under study


Muscat: The Sultanate’s Ministry of Transport and Communications is conducting studies to build major roads as well as dualisation work of existing roads with a total length of over 1,300 kilometres in different parts of the country.
These roads include a 200km-long new road between Al Mazyunah and Sheit, 150-km-Metan-Al Hashman-Al Shasr road, 715-km-long dualisation programme for Nizwa-Thumrait road, upgradation of 40km-long Sohar-Wadi Hibi road, 76km-long Al Buraimy-Safwan-Al Rawdah road, 39km-long-dualisation of Nizwa-Bahla road as well as dualisation of 33km-long-Ibri-Yankul road. Tenders for selecting contractors for building these roads are expected to be floated in the coming months.
Delivering the keynote address at the Oman Land Transport Infrastructure Summit here yesterday, Eng Muhammed Aref Abu Zaki, Road Design Expert at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, said that dualisation of Nizwa-Bahla road is a continuation work from Muscat. He also noted that the dualisation work of Nizwa-Thumrait road will have challenges as it requires a lot of interchanges.
Further, studies for building major road projects with a total length of 424 kms have been completed by the end of June 2013. These include part one and two of 186-km-long Batinah Expressway, part three of Batinah Expressway for 86 kms, dualisation of 87-km-long Bidbid-Sur road and the 65-km-long Diba-Lima Khasab road, said Eng Abu Zaki.
Oman is set to build its first design-build-operate road project -Diba-Lima-Khasab road in Musandam. A study for the 65 kilometre-long road, which will be developed on a 20 year concession with a private operator, has already been completed and a tender for pre-qualification of companies has been floated.
“It is a strategic route, once it is completed. Lima, which is a coastal town, is a tourist attraction,” added Abu Zaki.
He said ten major new roads or dualisation/rehabilitation works are currently under construction, which has a combined length of 647 kilometres. These include 133-km-long Nizwa-Thumrait road (phase four, part 2), 90-km-long Jabreen-Ibri road, and 50-km-long Izz-Adam road.