Friday 13 / September / 2024
MUSCAT: With high cost of operating tunnels in the Sultanate of Oman that amounts to nearly between OMR30,000 and OMR40,000 per month, other options are being looked into while building roads.
Khamis bin Mohammed Al Shamakhi, Undersecretary for Transport at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology confirmed that the cost of operation of tunnels in the Sultanate of Oman is very high so we are looking for other options and this won’t be our first choice.
He said that the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology is now considering all available options as tunnels are not always the best option when we consider the high cost of operation.
Regarding the integrated project between the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning Al Jabal Al Akhdar, he said that the project includes construction of a road to link Al Jabal Al Akhdar and Al Batinah Governorate. “We are considering all available options for construction of the road before the decision is taken by the government. The project has not yet been decided on whether it is going to be a development project or an investment one,” he said.
On the launch of Aber taxi- meter Application, he said that this system aims to regulate the operation of taxis and came in response to requests from taxi users.
“It is part of our commitment to regulate the issue of pricing, “ he said, adding that we had two options which are the traditional method of fixing meters to calculate the cost and the other option of setting up electronic meters. We have opted for the latter option through the Aber application. We hope this application meets our targeted goals in terms of regulating pricing. The application would help in regulating the pricing,” he added.
Al Sharqiyah Expressway, features two tunnels for vehicles, crossing the mountain range between Samail industrial area and Al Jardaa intersection.
The strategic road includes three lanes for traffic in each direction and a permitted design speed of 120 km per hour, as it includes modern bridges that extend over wadi crossings of up to 90 metres in height, and two vehicle tunnels with a total length of 2.1 km.
The first tunnel is located at the beginning of the village of Nadab in the wilayat of Samail and is of a length of 650 metres, while the second tunnel is in the middle of a mountain range in wadi Al Aqq, with a length of 1450 metres.
Each tunnel consists of two separate tracks of three lanes in each direction, with a permitted design speed of 90 km per hour. The tunnels are designed according to the highest specifications of international standards, including all safety and security specifications.
