Work has commenced on the dualisation of a key road that links Al Batinah Expressway with Al Batinah Highway at Liwa, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MoTCIT) announced here on Monday.
The roughly 5.5km link road connects the new expressway with the existing highway at Liwa roundabout. The redesign and construction will be undertaken in accordance with the Oman Highway Design Manual, the ministry stated in a post.
When operational, the dualised link road will not only facilitate the smooth and easy flow of vehicles between the two arterial carriageways, but crucially, it will also reduce the potential for road accidents.
On Sunday, Eng Said bin Hamoud al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, outlined a sizable portfolio of road projects for design, construction and rehabilitation, including some that are proposed to be implemented in partnership with private players under the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model.
Notable is a proposal for the rehabilitation of the Al Batinah Highway – one of the country’s oldest and biggest road projects – from Barka to Khatmat Malaha. In the south of the Sultanate of Oman, a feasibility study focusing on the first phase of a dedicated truck road from Thamrait to Salalah has commenced. The project, which will be undertaken on a PPP basis, envisions the installation of a toll system – potentially the first in the country.
Another landmark road project under study is a coastal link that will connect Dhalkout in the far southwest of Dhofar Governorate with Rakhyout Wilayat before it runs eastward. Another key road being weighed by the ministry is a blacktop that links Al Batinah governorates with Al Jabal al Akhdhar in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate. A possible carriageway linking Al Amerat and Al Tayeen is contemplated as well.
