Turkey’s Sezai Turkes-Feyzi Akkaya (STFA) has won a OR117m ($305m) contract on the upgrade the Bidbid-Sur highway in Oman.

The phase 1b contract involves upgrading a 75-kilometre stretch of road that will be expanded from the existing two-lane carriageway into a four-lane carriageway. The scope also involves building 50km of service road and nine interchanges.

The joint venture of Italy’s Astaldi and Turkey’s Ozkar Insaat Sanayl Ve Ticaret was the low bidder for contract when it submitted a price of OR121.6m in January this year. Sezai Turkes submitted the second lowest price of OR137m (MEED 7:1:11).

The work is expected to take three years to complete. The project is part of the wider development programme of the 200km road that links Bid Bid and Sur. Phase 1a was awarded to the Astaldi and Ozkar Insaat Sanayl Ve Ticaret joint venture in February this year.

Oman’s Tender Board is expected to invite bids for the remaining 80km stretch later this year.

Lebanon’s Dar al-Handasah (Shair & Partners) has been appointed as consultant for the first phase of the project. Denmark’s Cowi & Partners has been contracted as consultant to study, design and supervise the construction of the dual-carriageway for the 143km second phase.

The road between Bidbid and Sur is a major transport link in the sultanate, connecting the capital city of Muscat to the Sharqiyah region in the north-eastern part of Oman.