MUSCAT -- The task of alleviating traffic congestion on one of Muscat's busiest roads -- the Darsait-Wadi Kabir stretch -- has officially commenced. Muscat Municipality is investing around RO 42 million in the construction of flyovers, underpasses, signallised junctions, bridge extensions and additional lanes along this roughly 5 km stretch -- a sizable outlay that underscores the importance of this project in easing traffic flows through the capital's commercial hub.
The Oman subsidiary of Indian engineering and construction giant Larsen & Toubro has been awarded the contract to execute the road improvement project. Well-known engineering consultant Parsons Oman is the Design Consultant, while Renardet has been appointed as the Construction Supervision Consultant. As an artery that links Wadi Kabir with Sultan Qaboos Street (via Ruwi and Darsait), improvements to this corridor will also have hugely beneficial ramifications for traffic flows even along intersecting routes.
Accordingly, Muscat Municipality has drawn up plans for a comprehensive overhaul of this stretch with a view to addressing existing bottlenecks en route, as well as meeting projected traffic growth. One perennial chokepoint that will be done away with as part of this project lies at the point where the Qurum Heights carriageway meets with the Darsait-Wadi Kabir road near Lulu Hypermarket. At this point, multiple lanes of northbound traffic ultimately merge into a single lane just beneath the bridge leading to Muttrah.
In fact, the improvements start about 1.2 kilometres up the Qurum Heights road at a point where the highway abuts a car park built next to a popular municipal garden overlooking Darsait. Starting from this point, the highway will be widened with the planned addition of a lane on either side. This would allow for two dedicated lanes to feed traffic into the Darsait-Wadi Kabir corridor, and a further two lanes for Muttrah-bound traffic.
Similar improvements will also be made on the northbound side of the carriageway to facilitate smooth flows from Darsait and Muttrah onto the highway. In the process, the wadi bridge at Darsait will be widened as well. Other sections of the Darsait-Wadi Kabir stretch are also targeted for major improvements. The existing flyover abutting the Defence Ministry's Bait Al Falaj complex will be extended to span the intersection at Stars Cinema.
This grade-separated flyover will provide unimpeded access to traffic plying between Darsait and Wadi Kabir. Additional lanes are also envisaged as part of the widening of the thoroughfare as it cuts through the Commercial Business District. At the Hotel Sheraton intersection, an underpass will be constructed to allow for smooth traffic flows between Darsait and Wadi Kabir.
The existing traffic junction will be retained, albeit with significant improvements to facilitate cross flows. Finally, Wadi Kabir roundabout will make way for a signallised junction. In addition, a flyover will be built across the junction for traffic plying between the Hotel Sheraton side and Al Bustan. A number of pedestrian bridges are envisioned at key points along this corridor as well. Work on the project is targeted for completion by October 2013, it is learnt.
© Oman Daily Observer 2012
