Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat: This Khareef season will be a safer one, Oman’s Ministry of Transport and Communications has said, after opening a 180 kilometre extension on the Adam-Thumrait highway, which is being designed to provide a faster, safer route for motorists heading to and from Salalah and the Dhofar region.
Connecting Ad Dakhiliyah and the Dhofar Governorate, the road is expected to open for drivers at the start of the 2019 Khareef season. The project provides two lanes separated by dividers on either side of the road for travellers to take on the way to and Salalah, an improvement upon the current road used by people living in the Sultanate and tourists alike.
“There is no doubt, that the Adam-Thumrait project will facilitate traffic and contribute to reducing the number of accidents on the road to Salalah,” an official from the Ministry of Transport and Communications told Times of Oman, “However, ensuring that drivers follow the traffic rules and regulations is the best way to reduce traffic accidents.”
“Having previously opened 180 km of the road to traffic than the additional opening of 41 km of another section on Thursday brings the total length of the dual carriageway opened to traffic to 221 km out of a total length of 717.5 km,” the official added.
The Adam-Thumrait highway is considered one of the major strategic projects implemented by the government and will undoubtedly facilitate movement between the northern governorates of the Sultanate, and the governorates of Al Wusta, and Dhofar.
“The route will contribute to the revitalisation of trade and tourism in the region, especially during Khareef, in which large numbers of domestic and foreign tourists visit Dhofar,” the official added.
“The Adam-Thumrait project also represents an added value to the national economy and provides an opportunity for the private sector, small and medium enterprises to create more employment opportunities for Omani youth,” the official said.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications announced on April 25, the opening of a further 41km in Adam-Thumrait road project to traffic. “The new stretch includes two interchanges, the first of which is near Al Qa’aa and Al Raki in Adam, and the second of which is near Al Zahia and Al Kawther In Adam. An additional 180km is expected to be opened before the autumn season in 2019.”
During an inspection visit of the project, Dr Ahmed Al Futaisi said,” That the ministry had completed the preparation of tender documents for the remaining three parts of the Adam-Thumrait dual carriage road project from the Wilayat Haima to the Wilayat Thumrait with a length of 400 km.”
Sheikh Hamad Al Maqbali, Wali of Adam, spoke to Times of Oman, regarding the impact this road will have on his wilayah. “There’s no doubt that the part of the road opened today, which is 41 kilometres long, will reduce accidents. This road is vital and is used by the people of the governorate, people living in Oman, as well as GCC tourists who drive towards Salalah. This new dual-carriage road will protect people and will also help tourism towards Salalah.”
Aamur Al Masroori, a board member at the Oman Road Safety Association, praised the move. “I’d like to thank all the authorities that have worked for this project. Making the road dual-carriage will protect people and increase their safety, as will the rails, and their work will continue until the road reaches Salalah. They’re also adding lights, which will help with road tourism towards Salalah as people feel more comfortable with using the roads.”
Al Masroori also had a message for drivers. “This road will make things safer, but let us not forget that the human element is the biggest factor in road safety. Especially for youth, you need to focus and drive to prevent danger because of your safety starts with you.”
Ali Al Barwani, member of the Oman Road Safety Association, welcomed the move, saying that the Khareef festival was of important tourist and economic benefit to Oman, given the interest and revenue it generated not just from within the country, but from the other GCC nations as well, with many of their residents and citizens road-tripping to Oman to enjoy Salalah and the rainy season.
“This road that is being opened is actually very important because people need good facilities to drive anywhere in the country,” he told Times of Oman. “Khareef is important and generates interest not just in Oman, but the rest of the region and the GCC countries. Many of the people drive to Salalah from not just the rest of Oman, but from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and other countries in the region, and they will need safe roads to travel on, so the opening of this extension is very good.
“There are three very important things that are necessary for a successful journey on the road,” he added. “The first is the driver himself. He must not be tired during the journey because that will lead to more accidents on the road, to not just himself, but others as well. The second important thing is the vehicle. Please check the tyres, check the engine, check the vehicle you are driving in before you leave so that there are no problems you have on the road. The third of course is the road itself because there must be a good road, a safe road so that accidents don’t happen.”
Al Barwani said that when he referred to a good road, he didn’t just mean the surface and dimensions of the road itself, but the other facilities that are also required, such as fuel stations, restaurants, rest stops and adequate street lighting among others. He was confident that all of these facilities would be available to motorists on the Adam-Thumrait Road.
“For any road to be good, there have to be no places where there is a lack of facilities available, and I am sure this road will be very good because it is an important one,” he explained. “There needs to be fuel stations so that people can take care of the cars, there also needs to be areas where people can take rest, because this is a long road, and people will only naturally get tired, especially in the case of those who come by road from other countries.
“If for example, someone is coming from Riyadh or Dubai or Manama, then they have driven for a long, long time, and they will need rest,” said Al Barwani. “If they don’t get rest, then they will get tired and that could lead to more accidents on the road. Another thing that is important is the presence of animal crossings in areas where there is a high presence of wildlife because sometimes, an animal could suddenly come in front of the cars and it could damage your vehicle, and unfortunately cause harm to them as well. I am sure all these facilities will be there and that this will be a very good road.”
He hoped that the upcoming Khareef season would be one without accidents on the road, saying, “Hopefully this road will be a very good one and there will be no road accidents during the Khareef season.”
