MUSCAT, MARCH 5
Eng Said bin Hamoud al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, shared that the estimated cost of the Ministry’s road projects in 2023 will amount to RO 1 billion.
At a press conference last week, Khamis bin Mohammed al Shamakhi (pictured), Under-Secretary for Transport, stated that the Ministry will focus on completing and constructing strategic road projects, raising the efficiency of roads, and road rehabilitation.
Al Shamakhi unveiled the ministry’s plans for constructing and completing strategic road projects with a total length of more than 1300 km. They include the completion of Al Sharqiyah Expressway (260 km), the construction of the Herweb - Al Mazyunah - Mitan road (210 km) in Dhofar, construction of connecting roads in Wilayat Muqshin (170 km) in Dhofar, construction of the Diba-Lima-Khasab road (120 km) in Musandam, and the completion of the South Batinah Costal road (Barka-Al Suwayq) including links (30 km).
Additionally, the Ministry is planning to expand nine existing roads in the Sultanate of Oman. Most notably is the dualisation of the Adam-Thamrait Road which connects the Ad Dakhiliyah governorate with Dhofar Governorate spanning over 437 km.
Moreover, the Ministry intends to start and continue a variety of road rehabilitation projects with a length exceeding 128 km. According to Al Shamakhi, the periodic maintenance and road rehabilitation program cost more than RO 250 million in 2022. Of this figure, more than RO 150 million was allocated towards repairing damages caused by climate conditions, RO 57 million went towards road maintenance contracts (spanning over a period of five years), and RO 27 million for dirt and mountain roads maintenance contracts.
As a result, Al Shamaki shared that the Ministry intends to release a set of road maintenance initiatives such as the decentralization of road maintenance and management through provincial offices, development of an application for reporting road damages, creating a road assets management system strategy, and utilizing modern road construction technologies.
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