Despite the government's efforts over the years to build more roads to solve the growing number of traffic jams in the capital, one network in the capital that has remained dangerous over the years is the Al Amerat-Bausher mountain road, which needs efficient and proper road safety measures.
As part of the road maintenance work in Muscat Governorate and in coordination with the Traffic Department, Muscat Municipality has closed the road towards Bausher from Al Amerat.
To be closed for four months, one lane will be opened during the morning peak hours, between 5 am and 9.30 am.
According to figures, a number of accidents have occurred on this road, taking the lives of some people and injuring many others.
With this in mind, commuters have been calling for a permanent solution, and many believe an alternative road, especially via a tunnel is required to connect the two wilayats – Al Amerat and Bausher.
With the road's closure, motorists reported a surge in traffic on the Wadi Adai-Al Amerat road, during morning office hours on Sunday.
Commuters say the road has become a lifeline that has supplemented Wadi Adai road, which had seen traffic congestion in the past.
The municipality urged everyone to take caution, follow the traffic instructions shown on the website, and use the alternative road (Wadi Adai Road) to avoid traffic congestion.
Whenever there is an accident on Al Amerat-Bausher road or there is rain, the road is temporarily closed, leading to traffic congestion on Wadi Adai-Al Amerat road.
"There is a need for a permanent solution, one of which is a tunnel connecting Al Amerat to Bausher is ideal. I request the authorities concerned to consider the tunnel just like the newly opened Wadi Al Aq tunnel," Mubarak al Dhawi, an Al Amerat resident who uses the road daily to connect to the expressway, said.
Others feel the same road with some alterations and adding more safety measures can suffice to avoid closure for a long time.
"There is a need for proper planning with the addition of more road safety measures. In my view, the road needs to be considered for reconstituting if a tunnel is not a possibility," Taha Hameed, a Bausher resident, said.
Al Amerat-Bausher road has been under discussion among many commuters for a long time now, and they say it needs a permanent solution. The road is sometimes closed during rains for fear of mountainous landslides and waterfalls.
In the past, there were many accidents, including the one involving a truck and car, in which one person died. In another incident, two Asian men died when the water tanker they were traveling in from Al Amerat lost control after colliding with a car coming from the Bausher side.
This is in addition to eight people who were seriously injured in the road accident after a bus overturned on the same road.
The property boom in Al Amerat, which coincided with the development of roads cutting through mountains, forced many citizens and residents to shift their homes to Al Amerat, where bigger flats are available for relatively cheap rentals.
To cater to the needs of the local population, several restaurants, hypermarkets, and store chains have opened their branches in the vicinity.
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