Kurdistan Region Completes 810 Road Projects Under Ninth Cabinet
Agrin Abdulla says the projects, worth over one trillion dinars, were funded entirely from internal revenue as federal Baghdad has sent no financial support since 2014.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Construction and Housing has completed 810 road and infrastructure projects during the term of the Ninth Cabinet, at a cost of one trillion and 57 billion dinars, according to a ministry official who said the entire sum was drawn from the region's internal revenue.
Agrin Abdulla, a representative of the ministry, told Kurdistan24 on Friday, that despite numerous multifaceted challenges, the Ninth Cabinet has been one of generosity and service to the people of the Kurdistan Region. He noted that over the past seven years, the roads sector has seen a large and notable number of service projects reach completion.
Detailing the sector's achievements, Abdulla said the 810 road projects completed under the Ninth Cabinet put 3,055 kilometers of various roads into service for citizens.
He added that approximately 461 further road projects have already received approval for implementation, at a cost of 4 trillion and 246 billion Iraqi dinars, saying the figure reflects the scale of the vision the Kurdistan Regional Government holds for the roads sector.
Addressing how the projects were financed, Abdulla explained that all of the Kurdistan Region's road projects were carried out using internal revenue. "From 2014 until today, the federal government has not sent even one thousand dinars for the Kurdistan Region's service projects, and all completed projects were financed through the internal revenue budget," he said.
He also said the Ninth Cabinet has provided strong support to local companies, with all of the projects carried out by domestic contractors.
On the ministry's strategic plan, Abdulla said it centers on establishing a primary road network across the Kurdistan Region known as the "Road Artery," several key sections of which have already been completed, with the remaining sections currently under implementation.
The ministry official outlined five significant road projects currently in progress across the Kurdistan Region:
The Ba'adre–Duhok road, spanning 26 kilometers, is being converted into a dual carriageway, with hundreds of workers currently on site. The ministry hopes to complete the project next year.
The Erbil–Koya road, extending 48.5 kilometers at a cost of approximately 683 billion dinars, is roughly 30 percent complete and is expected to be finished and opened to citizens in 2028.
The Koya–Shaqlawa road is progressing well and is expected to be completed and opened to the public by the end of this year.
In Sulaimani province, the dual-carriageway project on the Dukan–Khalakan road, worth 260 billion dinars, is under continuous implementation.
The road linking Warmawa to the Derbandikhan tunnel is also being converted into a dual carriageway.
Abdulla expressed appreciation for Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, saying his guidance has formed the basis of the ministry's work. "The prime minister closely monitors the projects and has always been a strong supporter in helping us serve our citizens," he said.