READY TO USE

Our Correspondent
theweek@apexstuff.com

MUSCAT, Aug 19: Two out of four bridges, being constructed by the Muscat Municipality at Qurm, will be ready for commissioning soon.
The four bridges are part of the RO22mn project aimed at curbing traffic congestion and flooding at the commercial centre at Qurm.
These bridges also form part of the government's plan to construct a 3.5km long and 22m high dam at Amerat heights in the Muscat governorate to protect the populated areas in Amerat and Qurm from major floods like the one caused by Cyclone Gonu in June 2007.
Eng Abdullah bin Mohammad al Saadi , director-general of roads in Muscat Municipality, told TheWeek that the two bridges across Wadi Adai to A'Nahdha street near Al Harthy Complex will be opened for vehicular traffic in November, while the third bridge will connect Al Wallaj street and Al Araimi complex/Khamis plaza and the fourth one is from Sultan Showroom to BMW Showroom.
Wadi Adai, which traverses through several parts of the Muscat capital area, especially from Al Harthy Complex upstream to Capital Commercial Centre downstream in Qurm, has been flooding the areas close to it. The flow of storm water into the wadi is hampered due to inadequate cross-drainage provisions across A'Sultan Qaboos street/A'Nahda street, resulting in water-logging in the surrounding areas.
Moreover, vehicular movement on the service roads between the commercial area of Al Araimi Complex/Al Khamis Plaza and Al Wallaj street and between Sultan Showroom and BMW Showroom is hit even after a drizzle. "These locations are being upgraded to withstand storms for more than a century," Abdullah said.
The structures of the bridges include post-tensioned I-girder superstructures with cast-in-place deck slabs supported on concrete pier caps, columns and foundations. These foundations are deep enough to ensure that no damage is caused to the bridge during the floods. The project, reported to be one of the biggest in the Muscat Municipality in the last few years, also includes upgrading the culvert along A'Sultan Qaboos street near the Royal Oman Police headquarters.
Meanwhile, civic officials have taken up cleaning of major wadis in the city on a large scale to prevent flooding. The civic house is also de-silting wadis at Seeb, Bausher, Muttrah, Amerat, Quriyat and other places. They are trying to remove the debris that was deposited in these wadis during cyclonic Gonu. "We want to ensure that rain water from the mountains flows to the sea without any hindrance," he said.
The government has already appointed a consultant to prepare a master plan for constructing a drainage system for the city. He is expected to submit an initial report by this year-end. "The government will decide the future course of action after studying the report," he said.
The project will come as a major relief for the people staying at Qurm Commercial Centre. Mohamed Azhar Iqbal, an expat businessman from Sri Lanka, who resides in Fanja House in Qurm, said that people living in the villas and residential complexes, including Fanja House, Sohar House, Al Asfoor and Ramis House, were affected badly by Cyclone Gonu. The move to widen wadis and commission new bridges will help reduce traffic jams and will also ensure the smooth flow of storm water to the sea, he said.

To view the complete magazine, please click on the link below or copy and paste into a new browser window.Link:http://server4a.pressmart.net/theweeknew/)