www.timesofoman.com The capital area of Muscat will soon have a world-class marina drive to boast of in the form of Muttrah Corniche.
And if things go on schedule, this will be a gift to the people of the Sultanate on the occasion of the National Day.
Muttrah Corniche road, undergoing a massive makeover, consists of two phases in which the seawall, the walkway and the parking area will all be renovated and expanded.
The Muscat Municipality has started the first phase of developing Muttrah Corniche in Muttrah wilayat from Al Samaka roundabout till Mitaireh area on the Al Bahri road.
A part of the road has already been dug up and the footpath and seating benches on the seaside have disappeared. Concrete blocks for the seawall are lined up on the edge of the road. Heavy machinery has already been deployed for levelling a portion of the road and is kicking up a lot of dust on this road and this may be causing some inconvenience to people living in the area as well the road users.
But if the people can bear with this till November then they will see the transformation. This road may as well become the jewelled necklace of all the roads in Muscat. As it is, this corniche area, with all the traditional houses arranged in a wide semicircular shape, is itself beautiful and adds to the grandeur and charm of this sea front residential area. If you stand on this road and face the sea, you get to watch the port activity.
Simultaneously, the Muttrah Souq is also being done up with a massive façade which is almost ready.
Then when the upgradation of this road with new lighting system, a beautiful pathway, an attractive seawall and more parking space is complete, then it may well be the promenade where everyone will want to let their hair down and enjoy the cool air of the Arabian Sea blowing against their faces. This project is part of the beautification plan of Muscat and is known as the improvement and modification of Al Bahri road, say sources at the Muscat Municipality. The sea wall, which is plain at the moment, is being built again with a new pergola type design and a concrete wall, the sources informed.
The walkway work would entail the removal of the old tiles and replacing them with highly advanced and beautifully designed interlocking tiles.
In addition to this, the new and improved promenade will be having new benches and seats facing the sea.
Work would also include building of a car park designed for a large number of cars and changing of lampposts to more attractive ones, the sources said.
At present, there is only a parallel parking on the Al Bahri road, which is not enough for those who come out for an evening drive and walk along the corniche.
But all this is set to change with the improvement and modification of Al Bahri road.
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