Safer and Faster Travel as Kurdistan Region Expands New Dual-Carriageway Network
Officials and drivers say the new road network has eased congestion, shortened travel time between Erbil and Soran, and significantly reduced traffic accidents.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Long vehicle queues and severe congestion once defined the road stretching through parts of Soran’s borders, where motorists often spent hours navigating crowded and narrow routes.
Today, the new dual-carriageway roads — set to open shortly — will transform the journey between Erbil and Soran, reducing travel time and bringing relief to thousands of daily drivers once they become operational.
Under a broader infrastructure plan led by the ninth cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), 20 kilometers of roads within the borders of the Soran Independent Administration have now been converted into dual-carriageways, alongside the construction and paving of several additional routes across the area.
Drivers traveling through the region described the changes as a major improvement to both safety and mobility.
Nasreddin Ismail, a driver, told Kurdistan24 that he greatly appreciated the KRG’s decision to expand the road into a dual-carriageway, while expressing hope that roads through the mountain passes would also receive similar upgrades.
Another driver, Ghazi Zrar, said the road had previously suffered from severe congestion, but the dual-carriageway project had largely eliminated the traffic pressure. He added that traffic accidents had dropped by nearly 90 percent since the project was completed.
Ayoub Abubakr Khidr also praised the project, saying that since Prime Minister Masrour Barzani took office, a high-quality road network had been developed for the area that would not require repeated reconstruction.
The road’s improved design has also reduced bottlenecks and eased pressure on traffic police patrols stationed along the route.
Mohsin Tahsin, spokesperson for Soran traffic police, stated that traffic accidents along the Spilk-Khalifan road had significantly decreased, particularly after the route was converted into a dual-carriageway.
Although incidents have not disappeared entirely, Tahsin noted that serious accidents resulting in deaths or major injuries have become rare, describing the development as “very positive news” for the Soran Independent Administration.
The road expansion forms part of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s broader plan to develop the strategic route linking Erbil with the border crossings toward the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The project also aims to facilitate tourism movement and improve transportation efficiency across the region. Authorities indicated that only a limited section remains before the entire road between Soran and Erbil is fully converted into a dual-carriageway.