Habtoor Leighton JV wins Oman road upgrade

A joint venture of UAE-based Habtoor Leighton Group (HLG) and Turkey's Sezai Turkes-Feyzi Akkaya (STFA) has won the OMR 117 million (US$ 304 million) contract to upgrade a 75 km stretch of Oman's Bidbid-Sur highway.

The work comprises the expansion of the 75 km stretch of road from single to two-land carriage way to a four-lane dual carriageway. In addition, the contractors will construction nine interchanges and 50 km of service and access roads. Work is expected to begin immediately and is expected to take three years to complete.

When complete, the road will act as a by-pass around the major rural town of Ibra, some 100 km south of Muscat, allowing for safer travel and increased traffic volumes. The project is part of the Oman Ministry of Transport and Communications wider plans to upgrade the country's road network. According to HLG, the government of Oman has plans to invest OMR 8 billion (US$ 21 billion) in infrastructure over the next five years.

HLG CEO and managing director Laurie Voyer said, "We identified Oman as a key growth market for us as we expand across the Middle East. We have established a reputation for delivering infrastructure and building projects in the UAE and Oman and this award represents a significant step forward as we expand our operating footprint further afield."