Erbil to begin building '150 Meter Road' around the city in 2019

Erbil is preparing to begin construction of the sixth road surrounding the city at the beginning of 2019, an official said.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Erbil is preparing to begin construction of the sixth road surrounding the city at the beginning of 2019, an official said.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is planning to implement and complete several construction projects halted over the past few years due to the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and the financial crisis that crippled the economy of the Kurdish semi-autonomous region.

150 Meter Road, as it will be known, was one of the major municipal projects previously scheduled, but the circumstances delayed the implementation, said the spokesperson for the Presidency of Erbil Municipality Kirmanj Dashtaki.

“Now, we are working on finishing 120 Meter Road, on which construction was halted before,” Dashtaki recently told a local news website of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

He mentioned that, based on the KRG’s plan, the remaining unfinished portions of 120 Meter Road would be open to drivers by the end of 2018.

“We work on 120 Meter Road to finish it before the new year and then start the construction of the 150 Meter Road project, which is one of the biggest and most strategic projects of the KRG,” Dashtaki said.

“The construction of 150 Meter Road will take Erbil to the next level, as far as roads go.”

The spokesperson explained that the first part of the construction will be the highway between Bahirka district and Pirmam Road, stating that this particular area is now facing heavy traffic due to the presence of multiple KRG offices and housing developments in the area.

He noted that the 150 Meter Road ring would be constructed with high-quality materials and to modern standards and will be much wider than 120 Meter Road.

“The project will have a considerable impact on the traffic situation in Erbil,” Dashtaki concluded.

The capital of the Kurdistan Region has several major ring roads, the smallest surrounding the city's ancient citadel. They are: 30 Meter Road, 40 Meter Road, 60 Meter Road, 100 Meter Road, and 120 Meter Road, the last of which was officially opened in Feb. 2017.

With all the ever-larger circular roads extending further away from the city center, Erbil is sometimes referred to as the Spider City due to the way the city looks like from the sky.

The view of Erbil from the sky at night. (Photo: Archive)
The view of Erbil from the sky at night. (Photo: Archive)

Editing by John J. Catherine