Large cracks in the road surface became visible, forcing authorities to close the roadways until repairs can be made.
“The diameter of the pipe is 1.5 meters and has too much pressure. It is right under the road,” Ameer Abdulkhaliq, the manager of the 120 Meter Road project, told Rudaw.
“When it burst, it put too much pressure on the layers of the road, pushing it up,” Abdulkhaliq added.
Drivers are using a bypass, as they can no longer travel through the damaged section.
The broken pipe caused water to spill alongside the road, creating a small pond.
The pipeline is a water main used to deliver treated water from Ifraz 3 Treatment Plant into Erbil.
Abdulkhaliq works for Hemn Group, the company overseeing the ring road project. The road is being built in sections, and is to eventually encircle the city — allowing easier access to outlying areas like Baharka, Erbil's airport, and Kasnaszan.
Completion of the project has stalled due to the financial crisis that has gripped the Kurdistan Region.
The road’s future won’t be compromised and will be safe, Abdulkhaliq said.
He explained that the reconstruction will take some time, as they will have to dig 7 meters into the road’s elevated base, in order to reach the pipe.
Digging all the way to the pipe might take 5-7 days, he explained. “But I don’t know how long fixing the pipe will take."
Hemn Group will conduct the repairs. It did not disclose how much they would cost.
Reporting by Hadi Salimi
