Oman’s Transport and Communications Ministry has invited companies to bid by 9 December for an estimated $250m contract to dualise a 145km stretch of road between Izki and Nizwa.

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.