Oman’s Transport & Communications Ministry has invited contractors to bid for two tenders involving road works in the sultanate.

The first tender is for the construction of a 35-kilometre (km) road linking Taqah to Mirbat in the governate of Dhofar. The road will be a key stretch that connects Salalah with the wilayats of Sadah, Kasik and Shuwaymiyah on Dhofar’s east coast. The local Al-Manarah Engineering Consultancy is the consultant on the scheme, which is valued at $50m and includes building flyovers and associated facilities. The deadline for submitting bids is 28 October.

The ministry has also retendered a deal to build an asphalt road from Al-Sunaynah to Al-Fath and Al-Rhiani in Oman. The tender, estimated to be worth $50m, was initially floated in 2011. The following companies submitted bids for the construction contract:

• Galfar Engineering & Contracting (Oman)
• Desert Line Projects (Oman)
• Simplex Infrastructures (India)
• Kayson al-Omaniah (Oman)
• Sarooj Construction (Oman)
• Khalid Bin Ahmed & Sons  (Oman)
• Premier International Projects (Oman)
• Ali & Company Trading & Contracting (Oman)
• Strabag (Austria)
• National United Engineering and Contracting Company (Oman)
• Larsen & Toubro (India)

The bid deadline for the tender is 28 October.

Oman has recently issued a flurry of large road contracts as it looks to bolster its economy by developing more modern and integrated transport infrastructure. The government has earmarked $8bn for the construction of 12,704km of road projects as land transport continues to be the main means of getting around the sultanate.

The biggest road scheme being built is the 260km Batinah Expressway, which will be Oman’s first dual four-lane road. The $2.6bn project will connect Sohar, Muscat and the UAE, and is expected to reduce the travel time between Muscat and the UAE border by at least an hour.