Al Batinah Expressway opened to traffic

Muscat: The Ministry of Transport and Communications inaugurated the Al Batinah Expressway for traffic yesterday. It is the largest road project in the history of the Sultanate.
With a length of 270 km, the Expressway starts at the end of the Muscat Highway in Halban and ends at Khatmat Milaha in the Wilayat of Shinas in the Governorate of North Al Batinah.
Al Batinah Expressway has been built according to the highest international standards.
It includes the construction of four traffic lanes in each direction with a width of 75.3 metres.
Each lane of the Expressway has three metres of external asphalt shoulders, two metres of internal width, 23 interchanges, 17 overhead bridges and 12 ground passes for vehicles.
“Al Batinah Expressway is an addition to the economic and social system in the Sultanate, the largest among all roads in the Sultanate and ever built by the ministry to date,” said Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications.
He pointed out that the road will shorten distances to governorates, such as Al Buraimi and A’Dhahirah, and it is an important way for transients to the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries, stressing that the road has economic value through the possibility of opening large economic areas on both sides.
He said Al Batinah Expressway is a logistics route after transferring commercial activities from Muscat to Sohar and linking Sohar Port with Muscat via Al Batinah Expressway where all goods from Sohar pass through this route smoothly.
Eng. Salim bin Mohammed Al Nuaimi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications for Transport, said the Al Batinah Expressway is one of the largest projects implemented by the Ministry with a length of 270 km, and is designed in four lanes in each direction and is built according to the latest standards and technical specifications.
He added that this project is the first-of-its-kind in the Sultanate. It included the establishment of 12 truckloads and 23 main intersections to connect the Al Batinah road to the current road. It also includes 17 overhead bridges and 12 roadside service lines.
He said the road will contribute to the revitalisation of road transport and logistics and will support the economic, tourism and commercial and will be an effective drive in this region and will be a drive for urban and cultural growth along its course.
Sheikh Hilal bin Said bin Hamdan Al Hajri, Governor of South Al Batinah, said the opening of this road will be of vital importance to the citizens and have a positive impact, whether economic, commercial or tourism, as well as urban and social return by linking many areas on both sides of the road.
He pointed out that the presence of the logistics area ‘Khazaen’ in the South Al Batinah, which is the first dry port in the Sultanate will give a comparative advantage between the port of Sohar and the logistics area.
The Batinah Expressway runs along 270 kilometres connecting three governorates, Muscat, North and South Al Batinah, through several wilayats (Barka, Nakhal, Al Masanah, Wadi Al Ma’awil, Al Awabi, A’Rustaq, A’Suwaiq, Al Khabourah, Sohar, Liwa, and Shinas).