Wednesday 22 / April / 2026
Muscat; The Services and Public Utilities Committee of the Shura Council continued its meetings on Wednesday as part of its study of a proposal on mitigating traffic congestion in Muscat Governorate through the development of a sustainable urban transport system.
This comes within the Committee’s efforts to address one of the key service-related challenges facing the Governorate, in line with ongoing urban and population growth.
In this context, the Committee hosted officials from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, along with officials from Muscat Municipality, with the aim of benefiting from their technical expertise and enhancing the quality of the study’s outcomes.
This is intended to support the formulation of practical and implementable recommendations that contribute to improving traffic flow in Muscat Governorate.
During the meeting, officials from the Ministry delivered a presentation outlining the main strategic plans being implemented in coordination with Muscat Municipality to address traffic congestion.
The presentation included a detailed overview of the Muscat Expressway expansion project, as one of the key projects aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the road network and accommodating the increasing number of vehicles.
It also addressed the Muscat Metro project, which represents a long-term sustainable solution for developing the public transport system, in addition to a number of road projects planned for the coming phase.
The presentation further included the results of traffic simulations during peak hours, highlighting the nature of congestion across several key corridors, the main challenges associated with them, and proposed solutions to mitigate their impact, including through infrastructure development.
Following the presentation, Members of the Committee raised a number of observations and inquiries focusing on the technical aspects of the proposed projects, their expected timelines, and the readiness of existing infrastructure to accommodate them.
Members also proposed several measures to enhance the efficiency of the road network, including the construction of new roads in high-density areas and improving connectivity between residential neighbourhoods and key service centres.
The meeting also included extensive discussions on the alignment of planned road projects with the Greater Muscat Structure Plan.
The Committee emphasised the importance of achieving integration between infrastructure projects and the urban transport system in a manner that ensures sustainable planning and implementation, in line with the comprehensive urban development vision of the Governorate.
In a separate segment, the Committee met with officials from Muscat Municipality, where discussions covered the Municipality’s efforts to address traffic congestion.
These include expanding road development projects and increasing network capacity, implementing routine and preventive maintenance to ensure infrastructure sustainability and operational efficiency, and supporting national infrastructure-related projects. The discussions also addressed a package of traffic improvement measures implemented across various wilayats of Muscat Governorate,
aimed at improving traffic flow and enhancing the level of services provided to road users.
The Committee affirmed the importance of integrated efforts among all relevant entities and the need to adopt innovative and sustainable solutions that combine comprehensive urban planning with the development of public transport, in order to reduce traffic congestion and improve quality of life in Muscat Governorate.
This meeting forms part of a series of engagements conducted by the Committee with relevant stakeholders as part of a comprehensive study aimed at developing effective recommendations to address this issue in a sustainable manner, in line with the Sultanate of Oman’s development aspirations.
