Muscat Municipality has signed a contract to implement the Al Nuzha Street dual carriageway project in Al Mabila South in the Wilayat of A’Seeb, moving ahead with a key transport upgrade intended to ease congestion, improve access to fast-growing residential districts and strengthen the capital governorate’s road network.The project covers an 11km dual carriageway linking Al Nuzha Street with the Muscat Expressway, with accompanying service roads, junction upgrades, drainage works and safety improvements. It is designed to support the expansion of Al Mabila South and adjoining areas, where population growth, housing development and commercial activity have placed sustained pressure on local roads.
The contract was signed by Eng Ahmed Said Al Amri, Chairman of Muscat Municipality, with the contracting company appointed to carry out the works. The municipality has presented the scheme as part of its wider programme to raise the efficiency of Muscat’s infrastructure and adapt the road system to expanding urban demand.
Al Nuzha Street has become increasingly important as a feeder corridor for residents moving between Seeb’s residential neighbourhoods and the Muscat Expressway, one of the capital’s main arterial routes. The dualisation is expected to reduce bottlenecks on existing single-carriageway sections, improve journey times and provide safer access to neighbourhoods that have grown rapidly over the past decade.
The road package includes 3.5km of service streets intended to separate local access traffic from through movement. It also includes six high-capacity signalised intersections to serve areas adjoining the route, a 2.5km drainage canal and systems to manage surface-water runoff, an issue that has gained greater attention in Muscat following intense rainfall events that have disrupted transport networks in parts of the governorate.
The inclusion of drainage infrastructure is a significant element of the project. Road upgrades in Muscat are increasingly being designed not only to expand capacity but also to address stormwater accumulation, which can affect traffic safety and damage surrounding infrastructure. Al Mabila and Seeb have seen rapid development, making integrated drainage, road safety and access planning central to new municipal works.
The Al Nuzha project follows earlier tendering and award stages for the dualisation of the road link to the Muscat Expressway. Tender records and municipal announcements show the project moved through procurement over several stages before the signing of the implementation contract, reflecting the scale of planning required for a corridor serving both residential and expressway traffic.
Muscat Municipality has been advancing several road schemes across the governorate as part of a broader effort to manage congestion, improve connectivity and support development under Oman’s urban and economic plans. These works include upgrades to roads serving Al Ansab, Al Jifnain, Al Khoud, Al Mouj and other parts of the capital area, alongside expressway expansion and junction improvement projects.
The municipality’s approach has increasingly focused on corridor efficiency rather than isolated widening. That means building parallel service roads, replacing or upgrading junctions, adding drainage systems and improving safety features to help roads perform better during peak-hour traffic and adverse weather. The Al Nuzha scheme fits this model, combining lane expansion with supporting infrastructure.
For residents of Al Mabila South, the project is expected to improve daily movement to schools, workplaces, retail areas and the wider Muscat road network. The area has seen strong residential growth, with many families relying on road links to reach Seeb, Al Khoud, Mawaleh and central Muscat. Traffic pressure has been particularly visible during school and office commuting hours, when local roads feeding the expressway face heavy demand.
The project also has implications for commercial activity. Improved access to the Muscat Expressway can support logistics, retail and service businesses operating in Seeb’s expanding urban belt. Better junction design and service-road separation can reduce conflicts between local vehicles, delivery traffic and longer-distance commuters.
Transport planners in Muscat have been working against the challenge of urban growth spread across several nodes rather than concentrated in one centre. Seeb, Bausher, Al Amerat and Muttrah all carry different traffic pressures, while the expressway system functions as a backbone for cross-city movement. Projects such as Al Nuzha are aimed at improving the secondary road links that feed into that backbone.
The contract signing also underlines the continued role of municipal infrastructure spending in Oman’s construction sector. Road projects remain an important source of work for contractors, consultants, materials suppliers and engineering firms, particularly as public authorities prioritise mobility, flood resilience and service access in expanding urban districts.
Oman’s capital has faced repeated calls for traffic solutions that go beyond simply adding roads. Municipal officials have acknowledged that congestion requires a mix of road upgrades, traffic management, public transport planning and better coordination between land use and infrastructure. The Al Nuzha dual carriageway is therefore part of a wider policy shift in which road capacity, safety and resilience are being developed together.
Work on the project is expected to affect traffic patterns around Al Mabila South during implementation, with temporary diversions and construction-related restrictions likely as the road corridor is upgraded. The municipality is expected to coordinate traffic movement around work zones to limit disruption for residents and commuters using the route to reach the Muscat Expressway and neighbouring districts.
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Oman