Transport minister visits Bidbid-Sur road project

IBRA: Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications, made a field visit for the first phase of Bidbid-Sur Road Duality Project to follow up the work progress and stages of completion.

The Minster of Communication and Transport was accompanied by Salim bin Mohammed al Nuaimi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications for Transport, a number of ministry officials, engineers of the executing committee and representatives of the local media.

The minister was briefed on the work carried out in the first two parts of the 115-km first phase, starting from the intersection of Bidbid with the duality of Al Rusayl-Nizwa Road, through the Wilayat of Samayil in the Governorate of Al Dakhiliyah and the wilayats of Al Mudhaibi, Dima W’attayeen, till Masron intersection near Ibra Referral Hospital in the Governorate of North Al Sharqiyah.

Dr Al Futaisi said in a statement to the media, “Parts of the first phase of the project were opened and for the second part of this phase, particularly beyond Wadi Al Ouq towards Ibra in the Governorate of North Al Sharqiyah, adding that a small part (5 km) is left in Al Haima area, and it is expected to open in March. We have thus completed the second part of the first phase of the project with about 70-km long.”

He added that the first part of the first phase, which is going through Wadi Al Ouq, an area with a difficult geographical terrain, which led to the delay in the opening of the project on time already planned at the end of 2016.

Dr Al Futaisi, stressed that large landslides occurred in the middle of Wadi Al Ouq, after completing a large part of it, which led the ministry to ask the assistance of experts and professors from Sultan Qaboos University to find out the reasons behind those landslides and to study the whole project in terms of traffic safety.