The bridge, situated in the disputed town of Gwer, sustained serious structural damage in the early stages of the war in 2014. Although further repairs are needed, it is now thought to be stable enough to withstand road traffic.
“The bridge is partially repaired for now allowing traffic on it,” Masoud Nuri, the mayor of Gwer, told Rudaw English.
“The repair of cracks underneath the bridge will continue. The bridge is very large and has sustained four to five major damages to it due to multiple bombings during the ISIS fight in the region,” Nuri said.
“This bridge is very strategic and important for the people of Mosul and Erbil,” he added.
Gwer and Makhmour to the south saw fierce fighting between ISIS and the Kurdish Peshmerga between 2014 and 2017.
An estimated six billion dinars ($5 million) has been earmarked by Mosul authorities to fully repair the damage, Nuri said.
The reopening of the bridge will be widely welcomed by motorists and freighters as journey times are significantly cut.
“Vehicles from Mosul to the Kurdistan Region would prefer using the Gwer road and bridge because it is safe, shorter, and easier for them. The same is true for the people of Erbil and the Kurdistan Region,” the mayor said.
Gwer sits within areas disputed between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal Iraqi government.
The city of Mosul was devastated by three-years of ISIS rule and the battle to dislodge the jihadist group. Now that the city is being reconstructed, it needs trade routes to the Kurdistan Region.
“Improving our relations with Baghdad will leave a positive impact on the daily lives of the people of the Kurdistan Region and the whole people of Iraq. The Kurdistan Region’s interest is for Iraq’s situation to be stable,” Nuri said.
The strategic bridge was seized by ISIS militants during an assault in late 2014 but was soon retaken by the Peshmerga, who later helped Iraq forces launch the final Mosul offensive in October 2016 using the road.
Many other roads connecting the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil to Duhok and Mosul were either damaged or shut by the KRG fearing ISIS attacks.
Baghdad officials estimate rebuilding parts of the country devastated by the war with ISIS will cost as much as $100 billion.
Donors from 70 different countries pledged $30 billion to help rebuild during the Kuwait donor conference in mid-February 2018.
The UN has appealed for $482 million for the first year of its two-year Recovery and Resilience Programme and $568 million for stabilization efforts in high-risk areas.
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said at the time that the world “owes a debt” to the Iraqi people who were on the front line in the war against a terror group that threatened the entire world and the international community must now stand in solidarity with the Iraqi people.
The UN’s program will focus on the most pressing areas of need, bringing life back to the areas at high risk of returning to violence and promoting political participation across all Iraqi society.
