MUSCAT: At the time of its opening in 2010, Muscat Expressway was a showpiece for the road infrastructure development in the country, which in the subsequent years led to the opening of mega projects such as the Wadi-Adei Amerat Road, Sur Coastal Highway, Batinah Expressway, Sharqiah Expressway (with two tunnels), and Amerat-Bausher road.
The Muscat Municipality on Wednesday announced the expansion of the Muscat Expressway, with the tender floated for adding three lanes each on both sides.
The road project was listed in the additional projects added to the Tenth Five-Year Development Plan (2021-2025) as per the Royal Directives.
The expressway's expansion will occur between the Al Qurm and Halban Interchanges and then connect the Batinah Expressway (three lanes on each side).
The project is important to enhance the flow of traffic and reduce congestion, apart from improving the movement of goods transportation, which will contribute to the national economy and strengthen the capital's infrastructure in proportion to the pace of population growth.
The project includes expanding the highway to six lanes in each direction, expansion of existing bridges, works related to intersections, water drainage channels, protection works for mountain slopes, floor paving, service transformation work, concrete barriers, and guardrails, and replacing the current lighting with environmentally friendly lightings.
As per the consultancy tender last year, the project is expected to be ready by the fourth quarter of 2025.
The 54km long expressway runs parallel to Sultan Qaboos Street away from the coast and through the mountains. It joins the Batinah Expressway that goes up to the United Arab Emirates border at Khatmat Malaha.
Besides taking some of the traffic load from Sultan Qaboos Street, the Muscat Expressway project helped in providing access to inaccessible areas and opened up new areas for development.
Since its official opening in 2010, the project has emerged as the key road network of the country, especially with the real estate and tourism development of Madinat al Irfan, Bausher, Airport Heights, and Rusayl Industrial Area, among others.
Currently, with one of the two lanes used by trucks and heavy vehicles and for exits, the road is limited to two lanes for seamless travel and sees heavy congestion during peak hours between Al Khoud and Qurm.
Several regular users told the Observer that the expansion of the road was essential to the growth of Muscat City as projected in the master plan to meet the requirements, keeping in mind the development of Sultan Haitham City over the next decade.
Ahmed bin Mohammed al Humaidi, Chairman of Muscat Municipality said the Muscat Expressway expansion project constitutes a qualitative leap in terms of enhancing connectivity to the capital’s regions.
The project, he said, would help to meet the rapid growth witnessed by the transportation sector as a result of the economic boom and urban growth taking place in the Sultanate of Oman.
He added that the project would contribute to achieving the goals of Oman Vision 2040 by providing the infrastructure required for the comprehensive development process.
The Muscat Expressway expansion project involves the construction of three more lanes in both directions bringing to 12 the total lane number with 6 lanes in each direction making it the widest road in the Sultanate of Oman.
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