Oman traffic: New parking area to help cut Muttrah gridlock

Muscat: A plan to develop a 200,000 square metre (sqm) parking area at the Port Sultan Qaboos (PSQ) is expected to reduce congestion in the Muttrah area, Minister of Transport and Communications Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi said on Monday.
Speaking at a press briefing to announce the PSQ waterfront project, Al Futaisi said, “The total built-up area will be around 450,000 sqm, plus 200,000 sqm allocated for parking. This 200,000 sqm parking will be divided into around 6,000 parking lots.”
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This is the minimum and more parking lots can be added later, the minister stated.
He said the development of new parking area will help reduce gridlock in the Muttrah area, which is currently facing congestion problems due to insufficient parking space.
The Sultanate plans to transform PSQ into the region’s primary waterfront destination and number one tourist attraction in the country.
The project will blend traditional Omani heritage and aesthetics with modern technology and focus on maintaining sustainability and harmony with the environment.
A Royal Decree had called for PSQ to be converted from a commercial port to a fully integrated tourist port by shifting all commercial import, export, general cargo and container activities to the Sohar Industrial Port.
The ports of Khasab and Shinas are also slated to be transformed as Oman is focusing on increasing the contribution of the non-oil sectors to the economy.