Muscat: It will cost more than RO 1 billion in 2023 to construct new roads, complete expansions and repair damaged roads due to climatic conditions, Eng Said bin Hamoud al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, said in a press briefing recently.
Khamis bin Mohammed al Shamakhi, Under-Secretary for Transport, said the cost of periodic road maintenance and repairs following adverse climatic conditions in 2022 amounted to more than RO 250 million.
Of which, RO 27 million is the cost of dirt and mountain road maintenance contracts for a period of 5 years, and RO 57 million the cost of asphalt road maintenance contracts for a period of 5 years.
Work is underway to finalise the awarding of the remaining 3 asphalt road maintenance projects, with an estimated value of more than RO 20 million, while the value of repair projects on the road network caused by adverse climatic conditions stood at more than RO 150 million, Al Shamakhi said.
He further said that this year, the ministry will start road projects totalling 128 km, including the Aflaj road in Al Mudhaibi, restoration of roads like the Al Hazm-Rustaq road in Rustaq, the Tawa Ateer-Rakah-Jabjat and Aqbat al Shuwaymiyah roads in Shaleem and Hallaniyat Islands, and the Bidbid-Nizwa road, and construction of the Khor-Mughsayl bridge on the Raysut–Mughsayl road, and Wadi Afoul bridge in Dhofar.
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