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The ministry seeks to develop Omani ports and roads in order to make the sultanate an international logistics hub.
The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT) has announced that it will undertake several strategic road projects this year.
At a media meet on Wednesday, H E Khamis bin Mohammed al Shamakhi, Undersecretary for Transport in the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, informed that continuing and new road projects in 2023 will be of more than 1,300km.
The projects include the Dibba-Lima-Khasab road, completion of the Batinah coastal road (Barka- Suwaiq), the Harweeb-Al Mazyouna-Metin road, completion of the Sharqiyah Expressway project, dualisation of the Haima-Thumrait road, the Raysut-Mughsayl road and the Jaalan Bani Bu Ali-Jaalan Bani Bu Hasan road.
According to H E Shamakhi, the ministry seeks to develop Omani ports and roads in order to make the sultanate an international logistics hub.
“Ports in Oman received 9,800 ships, 5.2mn containers and 205,000 tourists in 2022, and the volume of bulk and general cargo rose to more than 90mn tonnes.”
He informed that the ministry provided more than 83,000 services through the ‘Naql’ platform, including issuing more than 30,000 new operating cards for land transport, 4,000 licences for land transport, and 15,000 permits to foreign vehicles.
H E Khamis further said that this year, the ministry will start road projects totalling 128km, including the Aflaj road in 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.
According to H E Shamakhi, the cost of periodic road maintenance and repairs following adverse climatic conditions in 2022 amounted to more than RO250mn.
“The ministry will implement and complete over 60km of logistical link roads, including Phase 1 of the dual carriage Empty Quarter Road, roads of the Khazaen Economic Zone, roads in Sohar, and design of the Saih al Khairat-Al Shasr road in Dhofar,” he added.
The ministry will also complete tourist link roads of over 55km in Dhofar and South Batinah, and the Jabal Shams Road. |
