Kurdistan Region Presses Ahead with Overhaul of Key Erbil Highway
Officials say the aging route, worn down by decades of heavy traffic, is being rebuilt in stages as part of a broader effort to modernize roads across the Kurdistan Region.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Authorities in the Kurdistan Region are advancing plans for the second phase of renovation on the road connecting Erbil to Smaquli, building on the recent completion of the project's first stage.
The Erbil Roads Maintenance and Protection Directorate launched the renovation as part of its ongoing efforts to modernize the province's infrastructure and keep pace with the road's growing role in regional transport.
Imad Mohammed Amin, General Director of Erbil Roads Maintenance and Protection, told Kurdistan24 that three factors had shaped the road's condition: its age, the sheer volume of traffic it now carries, and the fact that it has evolved well beyond its original design.
"The road was originally built as a secondary route," Amin said, noting that it has since become one of the main arteries linking Erbil to Smaquli.
He added that after the route was reconfigured, its length was reduced from 30 kilometers to nearly 25 kilometers, improving efficiency for daily commuters.
According to Amin, the renovation of the Erbil-Smaquli road was planned in three phases at a total cost of one billion dinars. The first phase has been completed in full, with all sections resurfaced and restored.
Funding has already been secured for the second phase, which spans 10 kilometers and is set to begin in the near future.
The Erbil-Smaquli project is part of a wider push by the directorate, which has launched several other road renovation initiatives across the province, including the completed overhaul of the main Qandil-Qurabagh-Makradan road. Technical teams are also continuing work on other sections of that same road, laying asphalt mixed with a stabilizing compound to enhance durability and extend its lifespan.
Amin said sustaining Erbil's road network requires close to 70 billion dinars annually, underscoring the scale of the investment the directorate continues to direct toward maintaining and expanding the province's infrastructure for the years ahead.