Muscat – Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology (MTCIT) has awarded tenders for new road projects worth RO278.45mn. These include Parts 3, 4, and 5 of the dual-carriageway Adam-Thumrait Road project and the Jebel Shams Road project.

The Tender Board, on behalf of MTCIT, has awarded contracts for three parts of the Adam-Thumrait dual-carriageway: Part 4 at a cost of RO118.37mn, Part 3 at a cost of RO70.03mn, and Part 5 at a cost of RO69.79mn. The board awarded the contract for the Jebel Shams Road project at a cost of RO20.24mn.

Eng Yousef bin Abdullah al-Mujaini, Director General of Roads and Land Transport at MTCIT, informed that the implementation of the Adam-Thumrait dual-carriageway sections will begin at the start of 2025, following the completion of contractual procedures. The total implementation period for the project is 36 months, with an additional 90 days for preparatory work.

In a statement to the Oman News Agency, Mujaini saidd that the dualisation of the Adam-Thumrait Road, once completed, will be one of the longest highway projects undertaken by the ministry. He noted that the project will create new opportunities in logistics, the economy, tourism, and social development.

He explained that Part 3 of the Adam-Thumrait Road dualisation starts in the Wilayat of Haima and ends in the Wilayat of Maqshin, spanning a length of 132.5km. The project will involve the construction of safe entrances and exits, 16 turning lanes, a bridge, service roads, two truck weigh stations, four rest areas, 21 waiting areas, eight emergency openings, 22 parking lots, 115 reinforced concrete box culverts for drainage, and 88 pipe drainage channels. Additionally, the project will include the construction of central dams and protective measures for those dams.

Mujaini added that Part 3 of the road will also involve rebuilding sections of the existing road at valley locations, removing parts of the old road, conducting protection works, and installing new multi-cell square drainage channels in flood-prone areas.

As for Part 4 of the Adam-Thumrait Road dualisation, it will start from the Wilayat of Maqshin, passing through Qatabit, and extend to Duka, covering a distance of 135km. This section will include safe entrances and exits, 14 turning lanes, 25 parking lots, three rest areas, eight central emergency openings, and approximately 241 reinforced concrete box culverts. It will also feature 95 pipe drainage channels, central dams, and dam protection.

Regarding Part 5 of the Adam-Thumrait Road, it will span more than 132km, starting from Duka and ending in the Wilayat of Thumrait. This section will include 20 turning lanes, 16 side parking lots, a truck weigh station, five rest areas, eight emergency openings, 101 reinforced concrete square box culverts for water drainage, and 110 central drainage channels. It will also include central dams and their protection.

Regarding the Jebel Shams road project, Mujaini explained that a 26km road will be constructed with a width of 3.5 meters for each lane, along with a 0.5-meter-wide outer shoulder. The road will extend from the end of the existing asphalt road at the base of Jebel Shams to Jebel Sarat. Additionally, a 6km link will be built from the Dar Al-Suda area to Dar Al-Aqour, connecting to the road leading to resorts in Jebel Shams.

He further noted that the Jebel Shams road will serve as a tourist route, linking the residential areas around the Sarat and Shams Mountains with the South Batinah and Dhahirah governorates. The implementation period for this project is 24 months, with construction expected to begin early next year.