23 April 2012
MUSCAT -- Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications, has assured that the government gives the road sector close attention due to its importance in sustainable development and its relevance to growth and prosperity of other areas.
Dr Ahmed said, "The Ministry of Transport and Communications is currently implementing 65 road projects in various governorates of the Sultanate totalling 2,065 km at cost of RO 1.5 billion. There is no doubt that the network of roads will make a quantum leap in many aspects -- in facilitating mobility and urbanisation and in extending the trade and economic activities in those areas".
The minister stated that the government added many projects that were not within the current five-year plan to reinforce the road network to support development and to resettle citizens in their home areas. The cost of these additional projects amounted to RO 319 million. "The ministry is keen to maintain these roads by allocating RO 39 million and it has assigned the projects to companies through the Tender Board.
The recent RO 40 million projects ordered by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos were taken seriously by the ministry and they are being tendered for design and implementation. "The Al Batinah Expressway project is considered a quantum leap in the ministry's strategy for the construction of roads. The eight-lane highway opens up broad prospects for the economic and tourism sectors in the region.
The Al Batinah Expressway is a development project included in the Eighth Five-Year plan (2011-2015). The ministry has already started implementing the first four stages of the project (181 km), while tenders for the second stage will be floated soon, minister said. He pointed out that tenders for the third and fourth stages will be floated later and the project is expected to be completed in three years.
MUSCAT -- Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications, has assured that the government gives the road sector close attention due to its importance in sustainable development and its relevance to growth and prosperity of other areas.
Dr Ahmed said, "The Ministry of Transport and Communications is currently implementing 65 road projects in various governorates of the Sultanate totalling 2,065 km at cost of RO 1.5 billion. There is no doubt that the network of roads will make a quantum leap in many aspects -- in facilitating mobility and urbanisation and in extending the trade and economic activities in those areas".
The minister stated that the government added many projects that were not within the current five-year plan to reinforce the road network to support development and to resettle citizens in their home areas. The cost of these additional projects amounted to RO 319 million. "The ministry is keen to maintain these roads by allocating RO 39 million and it has assigned the projects to companies through the Tender Board.
The recent RO 40 million projects ordered by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos were taken seriously by the ministry and they are being tendered for design and implementation. "The Al Batinah Expressway project is considered a quantum leap in the ministry's strategy for the construction of roads. The eight-lane highway opens up broad prospects for the economic and tourism sectors in the region.
The Al Batinah Expressway is a development project included in the Eighth Five-Year plan (2011-2015). The ministry has already started implementing the first four stages of the project (181 km), while tenders for the second stage will be floated soon, minister said. He pointed out that tenders for the third and fourth stages will be floated later and the project is expected to be completed in three years.
© Oman Daily Observer 2012
