Oman’s Muscat Municipality has opened bids for the expansion of the Muscat Expressway, a major project aimed at alleviating traffic congestion within the rapidly developing Muscat Capital Area.

Construction companies that submitted financial bids were as follows:

•             Consolidated Contractors Company Oman

•             Strabag Oman

•             United Gulf Construction Company

•             Ozkar Construction Company Oman Branch

•             Sarooj Construction Company

•             Galfar Engineering and Contracting.

The bid values weren't disclosed.

The tender was issued on 20 March 2024 and tender document sales ended on 3 April 2024. The deadline for bid submissions and scheduled date for bid opening was 22 October 2024.

With the current expressway and Al Sultan Qaboos Street acting as the two primary arteries in Muscat, rising urban density and vehicle ownership have led to significant congestion. The expressway will be widened to improve traffic flow and accommodate the region’s increasing vehicle numbers.

The proposed project includes expanding the expressway from Qurum junction in the east to Al Fulaij at the Batinah Expressway interchange in the west, to six lanes, bridge widening, and upgrades at key interchanges, all within the existing right-of-way. The Muscat Expressway currently includes 15 interchanges along its route serving adjacent areas.

The tender notice didn't disclose the length of the existing Expressway but local media reports peg it at 54 kilometres.  

Other elements to be included for construction include the following:

  • Provisions for storm water drainage (cross-drainage as well as surface runoff)
  • Slope protection with grouted stone rip-rap
  • Scour protection with grouted stone riprap and gabions
  • Pavement Construction to state-of-the-art international standards
  • State-of-the-art Highway Signing and Road Marking and renumbering the interchange/exits to coincide with km distance starting from Qurum as km 0.
  • Paving and Curbing Works
  • Public utility service diversion and protection, and provisions for future services
  • Concrete safety barriers and Guard Railing
  • LED Street lighting for the entire stretch (existing HPSV lighting shall be removed and replaced with LED lighting)
  • Mechanically Stabilised Earth (MSE) walls. In many areas the existing MSE wall embankment need to be widened by provision of additional row of MSE wall in front of the existing to accommodate the road widening
  • Hill cutting and benching to accommodate the road widening
  • Slope protection works as per the geology of the strata

(Writing by Deva Palanisamy; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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