MUSCAT: Well-known Omani construction firm Towell Infrastructure Projects Co LLC has been awarded a contract valued at around $214 million to build the infrastructure for the new Liwa City project being established by the Omani government in North Al Batinah Governorate. Towell led a field of five contractors that bid for the prestigious contract, representing the second phase of an ambitious initiative to build an integrated urban development designed to provide alternative housing to residents displaced or impacted by the establishment of Sohar Port and Freezone.
The Ministry of Housing is investing around $1.3 billion in the establishment of the landmark project. A master-plan approved by authorities envisages the construction of an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 housing units along with the requisite infrastructure of an urban development. When fully completed by early 2018, Liwa City is expected to be home to around 30,000 people. The master plan also makes provision for all of the services, amenities and facilities expected of an urban residential setting. In all, eight schools are planned within the City, along with 10 mosques each with a public majlis, health centre, cemetery, green spaces, public parks, retail areas and road network.
Towell's brief is to put in place a full spectrum of utilities, amenities and other support infrastructure necessary to sustain a modern township. An elaborate water distribution network made up of around 185 kilometres of pipelines will be laid as part of the contract. An estimated 4,500 house connections are envisioned when the network is operational. Also included in the scope is a sewerage collection system (72 km), irrigation water network (84 km), electrical network (410 km of electrical cabling), fibre optic ducts (265 km), storm water network (72 km), and interlocking tiles for roadside paving (15 million sq metres).
Under an earlier contract awarded by the Tender Board, an Omani contractor is currently undertaking the levelling of a roughly 8 sq kilometre area that will host the future city. The $65 million cost of the contract also includes the construction of 50 kilometres of dual roads, 46 km of single carriageways connecting all areas of the urban development, and the training of wadis. According to officials, the City has been designed with a high degree of landscaping and urban aesthetics. Each housing plot covers an area of 1,000 sq metres, with a right balance of built-up areas and landscaping incorporated into the overall master-plan design. Significantly, the Liwa City project was named the winner of the Council of Arab Ministers of Housing Award in 2014. The consultant for the project is AAW & Partners LLC.
© Oman Daily Observer 2015
