Oman's Ministry of Transport and Communications aims to float tenders for its four-lane Muscat-Bidbid Expressway project next year, said a report.

Also plans are afoot to open the Al Batinah Expressway up to Wadi Al Jizi in April, reported Oman News Agency.

In another development, the ministry has awarded Oman Global Logistics Group (Asyad), a government holding company, the contract to manage the tunnels on Bidbid/Sur road.

The agreement was signed by Salim bin Mohammed Al Nuaimi, the undersecretary of the ministry and Abdul Rahman bin Salim Al Hatmi, the CEO of Asyad, said the report.

It implements the national economic diversification program ' Tanfeedh'. The project is the first of its kind using this approach, it added.

"Work is underway at the tunnels in Bidbid- Sur road at Wadi Al Uqq. The first-of-its-kind tunnel experience in the sultanate is one of the initiatives of Tanfeedh program with relation to establishing a company to manage transport and communication public projects," stated Al Nuaimi.
 
"Diba-Lima-Khasab road needs more than eight tunnels - each between 1.5 km to 2 km - to meet the technological developments in road projects," he added.