The Omani part of the 726km-long highway connecting Saudi Arabia directly with the Sultanate is now ready to open, a top government official has said.
In a report by Al Eqtisadiah, an Arabic-language newspaper, the unnamed government official said that the giant road project will reduce the travel distance between the two countries by more than 800km. The existing route runs through the UAE and is more than 2,000kms in length.
The new route runs through the Rub Al Khali (Empty Quarter) desert, and the Omani side of the project is around 160km long. It starts from Tanam in Ibri and ends at the Saudi border, according to Arab News.
On the Saudi Arabian side, it stretches for 247km from the Omani border to the Shaybah Oilfield, and 319km from there to the Batha-Haradh road, which leads on to Riyadh.
The total length of the road will cover 160km in Oman, with the remaining 566km in Saudi Arabia, the report added.
