ERBIL, Kurdistan – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday opened a major part of a much-anticipated new highway connecting Erbil and Duhok. “The cabinet has long-term plans to improve roads and economic infrastructure,” said Barzani on Tuesday at a press conference. “It is a great pleasure that our projects are being constructed by the hands of Kurdish companies in the private sector with products and materials from Kurdistan, which increases job opportunities for our people and the youth.” The two-way Roviya-Gopal road is 22 kilometers long, three lanes each with six overpasses and one bridge, according to Minister of Housing and Reconstruction, Dana Abdulkarim. Also speaking at the press conference, he said that construction started in May 2019 at a cost of about $85 million. The project has been touted as an important road between Erbil and Duhok, linking a major part of Kurdistan. “It reduces driving [time] by 20 minutes between the two cities, it significantly reduces road accidents, besides its agricultural and transportation benefits, it plays an important role in tourism and trade,” according to Abdulkarim. “This project is one of many of the Housing and Reconstruction Ministry’s important and strategic projects” said Abdulkarim. Barzani warned drivers to use the road responsibly. “It’s true this road facilitates movement and traffic, but I am asking you to use it in the safest way possible. Unfortunately, hundreds of people are victims of road accidents annually; I hope you follow the traffic police instructions.” As part of the ongoing plans for service improvement by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), two other projects are in construction; another two-way road of two lanes that is 38 kilometers long with a provided budget of about $157 million, as well as building a 128-meter bridge in between those two roads with a budget of $35 million, according to Housing and Reconstruction Minister. Duhok Governor Ali Tatar also weighed in, saying, “we hope, despite the crisis, every city and town in Kurdistan is provided with these services”. The project was sponsored and supervised by the Avin Group. In 2010, the KRG prepared a 20-year master plan to convert all major roads into divided highways. The plan was held back by several economic crises. According to the master plan, nearly 1,000 kilometers of roadway in the Kurdistan Region should have been divided by 2022. Poor road conditions are a major problem for drivers in the Region. Automobile accidents were the second-leading cause of death in the Region in 2019. According to data collected by the KRG Ministry of the Interior, 36,913 car accidents occurred from 2010 to 2018, killing 6,509 and injuring 77,362.
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