TEN construction companies have submitted technical offers for packages seven, eight and nine of Oman’s ambitious Al Batinah Expressway project, which is divided into a total of 11 packages.

Four firms have submitted offers for all the packages.

They include Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) Oman, Larsen & Toubro (Oman), Galfar Engineering and Contracting and Gharbia Enterprises Establishment.

Other firms that are in the fray for work on the expressway include Ozkar Construction Company, Al Wataniyah United Engineering and Turkish construction firm Sezai Turkes and Feyzi Akkaya (STFA), for package seven; Ozkar Construction Company, STFA, Abu Hatim Company, Oman Shapoorji Construction and Federici Stirling Batco, for package eight; and Abu Hatim Company, Federici Stirling Batco and Al Wataniyah United Engineering, for package nine.

The Ministry of Transport and Communication (MoTC) invited bids for the packages in July last year when around 18 companies expressed interest.

The contracts for the first six packages have already been awarded.

The 265-km-long dual four-lane expressway will connect the Muscat Expressway in the wilayat of Barka to Khatmat Milahah in the wilayat of Shinas.

On completion, the RO1-billion ($2.59 billion) expressway will be an eight-lane road linking Oman’s capital Muscat to the new Sohar Port and industrial area and on to the UAE border.