MUSCAT: The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT) said many strategic road projects will be taken up on priority this year, including those planned to provide connectivity to important and popular tourist areas.
Key projects that are expected to make progress this year include the alternative road that connects South al Batinah to Jabel al Akhdar, the design and implementation of Wadi Bani Jaber Road (Phase (2)) in South al Sharqiyah, Saih Qatna Road in Jabel al Akhdar and the road linking Jabel Shams.
Jabel al Akhdar alternative road
MTCIT also floated a tender for the implementation of the new alternative road to Jabel al Akhdar from South al Batinah.
According to a top official at the MTCIT, this road project is important as it will easily link prominent tourist sites with the rest of the country.
"Jabal Akhdar is one of them as the place has so much potential. Presently, there is only one road to reach Jabal Akhdar which is hard to navigate for smaller cars. So, the ministry is Looking into one or two alternatives where even smaller cars could travel with ease," he told the Observer.
Jabel Shams road
Last year, the Ministry invited a tender for supervision consultancy services for the construction of a road to Jabal Shams in the Wilayat of al Hamra in the Al Dakhilyah Governorate. The scope of the work includes about 26.2 km (Phase 1), and 6.1km (Phase 2).
Jebel Shams is the highest peak in the Sultanate, rising to an altitude of 3,004 meters above sea level, and has plenty of slopes and summits. For many tourists, the main thing to do in Jebel Shams is camping by the edge of the canyon.
Eng Khamis bin Mohammed al Shammakhi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for Transport, said that other road projects include the completion of Al Batinah Coastal Road, which includes Barka-Al Suwaiq stretch; Al Sharqiyah Expressway (Al Kamil - Sur), Al Batinah Expressway (third package), Dibba - Lima - Khasab road in Musandam Governorate and dual-carriageway from the wilayats of Al Kamil W'al Wafi to the Wilayat of Jaalan Bani Bu Ali in the Al Sharqiyah South Governorate, and Adam-Thamrait) dual-carriageway project.
The ministry has proposed a project to complete the dual-carriageway leading to the border crossing in the Empty Quarter (first phase) and construct an intersection on the souq roundabout in the Wilayat of Ibri, the remaining works of Al Batinah Expressway (Package 5 - Free Zone Link) in Suhar, and the establishment of a factory for Nakheel Oman Development Company in the Wilayat of Nizwa, Governorate of Al Dakhiliyah.
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