Iconic six-lane dual carriageway to be opened for traffic tonight.

The highly anticipated Muscat Expressway ; Muscat’s direct connection to the UAE and a much welcomed alternative to the traffic choked Sultan Qaboos Street, is to be opened to the public today.

The six-lane highway starts from Naseem Garden on the outskirts of Muscat and ends at Khatmat Malaha on the northern border that Oman shares with the UAE.

The iconic infrastructure will be opened in two phases. The first phase will involve a 54 km dual carriageway that will be opened to the public by midnight tonight. The second phase; the Al Falaj Street that connects the road with the Naseem roundabout in Barka will be opened on November 28, 2010.

Sultan bin Hamdoon al Harthy, Chairman of the Muscat Municipality has referred to the expressway as, “a pyramid of Muscat, which will roll out many opportunities for the city in terms of business, infrastructure and culture.”

The Muscat Expressway encompasses a string of 12 grade-separated interchanges and features the world’s highest Mechanically Stabilised Earth Wall (MSE). At a height of 70 meters, this is one of the two MSEs used in the construction of the expressway.

The expressway will cater to the traffic throughout the Muscat area from Al Qurum to Al Naseem. Interchanges will provide links between the expressway and the areas of Rabiat Al Qurum, Madinat Al Ilam, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Al Khuwair, Bausher, Ghala, Al Ansab, Airport Heights, as well as the existing Muscat International Airport.

The project was initiated in September 2005 and was initially projected to be completed in four years.

In addition to the roads, the project includes 13 grade-separated interchanges, seven Tech-span bridges, six flyovers, four underpasses, 135 box culverts, 170,000 square meters of earth retaining walls, 11 roundabouts, seven signalized intersections, as well as the relocation of utilities and other works.