KRG Inaugurates Strategic Gomaspan–Smaqoli Road Linking Erbil and Sulaimani
Completed at a cost of 210 billion dinars, the modern 22-km highway marks a key step in the Kurdistan Regional Government’s drive to boost trade, tourism, and regional connectivity.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is set to officially inaugurate the Gomaspan–Smaqoli Road Project on Sunday, marking the completion of one of the region’s most vital infrastructure initiatives aimed at strengthening connectivity, trade, and tourism between Erbil, Sulaimani, and the Raparin Administration.
The project, launched on October 15, 2024, with a cornerstone-laying ceremony, has now been completed at a cost of 210 billion Iraqi dinars. Over 600 machines and 2,000 workers labored tirelessly — through harsh weather and long hours — to ensure the road’s timely completion.
Stretching 22 kilometers, the Gomaspan–Smaqoli highway is a modern, dual-lane road built to international standards, designed to accommodate both heavy and light vehicles.
Running along the scenic Gomaspan Dam, the new road is expected to boost tourism and commercial exchange while providing a safer and faster alternative to the older route — parts of which were submerged due to rising dam waters.
The project includes six underpasses, three elevated bridges, and seventy box culverts, in addition to full road safety features such as retaining walls, guard rails, and traffic signage.
More than 10 million cubic meters of excavation and filling work were carried out in challenging terrain to complete the project.
The Gomaspan–Smaqoli road serves as a key transportation artery linking Erbil and Sulaimani provinces with Raparin’s autonomous administration. It was implemented under the direct supervision of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, whose administration has made infrastructure modernization a central pillar of the KRG’s long-term development strategy.
Over the past four years, the current cabinet under Barzani's premiership has prioritized strategic infrastructure projects — including the construction and rehabilitation of major road networks, water systems, and energy facilities — as part of a broader effort to enhance economic integration across the Kurdistan Region.
The Gomaspan–Smaqoli project, in particular, demonstrates the government’s commitment to revitalizing regional connectivity and ensuring that remote areas benefit from modernization and economic growth.
According to KRG officials, the project will not only improve daily transportation for thousands of travelers between Erbil and Sulaimani but will also enhance trade efficiency, attract investment in tourism, and reinforce domestic production networks — all essential for the Region’s sustainable economic future.
Prime Minister Barzani has repeatedly emphasized that developing infrastructure is fundamental to building a stronger, more self-reliant Kurdistan, capable of withstanding political and economic challenges while serving the needs of its citizens. The inauguration of the Gomaspan–Smaqoli road stands as a tangible reflection of that vision.
