As part of adding more value to roads, more integrated state-of-the-art service stations will be opened along the Al Batinah Expressway during the current year.
According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, four such facilities will be completed in the North Al Batinah Governorate, on areas ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 square metres.
“These projects represent an added value to the future roads that the government intends to implement, in order to support vital investments in the governorates, as part of the strategic plans”, the ministry said in a statement.
While two of the sites will be opened at Al Hoor area to the right and left of the main street in the Wilayat of Al Suwaiq, one will be in the Wilayat of Saham’s Al Rowdha area and another in the New Liwa area, Wilayat of Liwa area to the right and left of the main street.
Al Batinah Expressway is considered one of the most important national milestones. The ministry periodically follows up the progress of the implementation of integrated service stations on highways, the statement posted on the ministry website said.
“By bidding on large areas of investment land to implement this type of project, the ministry aims to provide the necessary services in integrated service stations, provide investment opportunities for citizens and the private sector,” it said.
In addition, this will create a long-term contractual relationship with the system of utilisation for optimal investment of government lands, as well as achieving sustainability and maximising financial aspect returns, the ministry said.
For road users, it stimulates the economic and tourist movement along highway tracks.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning has developed a working mechanism concerning integrated service stations on highways, starting from the selection stage to the implementation stage. It includes determining the site and studying its planning based on its importance and the extent of the region’s need for it.
This is followed by preparing the necessary technical requirements when designing each of the integrated service station sites, then presenting the site to the relevant authorities to obtain the required approvals for completion.
The integrated stations include a fuel filling station, an air-conditioned main building that includes restaurants and various shops, as well as a hotel restroom, a park, separate prayer rooms for men and women, ATM outlets, a maintenance and car service centre, separate parking for buses and trucks and public parking to provide basic services.
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