Oman deal for Turkish/Italian partners

The first phase of Oman's new Sur road project is now being carried out by a joint venture comprising Turkish contractor 1325 Ozkar Insaat (Ozkar) and Italian firm 1324 Astaldi. The US$325.5 million deal is for a 40km section of the Bidbid-Sur road. The joint venture partners will widen the single-lane road into a two-lane all-weather link. Other parts of the work include building small bridges and culverts along with five wadi-crossing bridges spanning 350m and 400m as well as elevations from 40-80m. The stretch is situated between Sarur in Samayil and Wadi Al Aqq. The winning bid for the second phase of this road project is due to be announced shortly. Turkish contractors are increasingly keen to work on projects outside of their home country and have recently won several deals in The Middle East.