Friday 19 / April / 2024
Muscat: Oman’s Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) is looking into building a new road between Thumrait and Salalah for heavy trucks and charging a toll fee to use it.
This comes after the ministry issued a clarification denying rumours circulating regarding the establishment of a toll system on the existing Thumrait- Salalah road.
According to Tanfeedh’s annual report, the ministry is working on a smart road system: “The smart road system will enhance the use of roads, whilst being safer and more comfortable to use for drivers. A toll-system is one part of the smart road system. It is an electronic toll collection system used for free-flow multi-lane roads. An elemental stage in implementing the project is the establishment of a road investment framework.”
The report added: “MoTC floated the RFP for a toll-road feasibility study on the new road that connects Thumrait to Salalah and initiated a study on toll regulation and investment policies, a draft of which was completed and submitted to MoTC for approval by the Council of Ministers. Due for completion in early 2019, the Ministry of Transport and Communications is working on a feasibility study for establishing road tolls.”
The project will include rest stops, fuel filling stations, and truck weighing stations. Income from the tolls will be used to maintain corridors and finance new transportation projects
