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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The final section of Erbil’s 120 Meter Road was opened to commuters on Tuesday, aiming to ease traffic jams in the capital of the Kurdistan Region.
The project, costing a total of $440 million, was funded by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) via a long-term loan to Hemn Group, a property and infrastructure corporation based in the city.
The master plan for Erbil includes a series of ring roads — 30 Meters, 40 Meters, 60 Meters, 100 Meters, 120 Meters, and 150 Meters. The aim is for commuters in Erbil's suburbs and surrounding towns to use the ring roads to avoid congestion in the city center.
The last section, totaling 11 kilometers, stretches from the Erbil-Kirkuk Road to the Erbil-Mosul Road. It contains six overpasses and nine underpasses.
"It is a very important section and with its completion, the ring [road] is now completely finished and connected," Erbil Governor Firsat Sofi said at an opening ceremony for the road.
"The Hemn Group proved that the domestic companies can do great jobs…no less than the giant international companies and that they can even carry out bigger projects," Sofi added.
The 120 Meter Road was added to Erbil's master plan in 2005. It is currently the outermost of the ring roads that encircle the city, with the historic Erbil Citadel at the center. Work on the road began in early 2013.
The speed limit on 120 Meter Road is 110 kilometers per hour with no traffic lights, allowing drivers to complete a lap of the 37-kilometer ring road in about 20 minutes.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also attended the ceremony and thanked Hemn Group and their staff who took part in its construction.
"It makes us very happy to see that such [a] huge strategic project is built by a Kurdish mind, Kurdish engineers, Kurdish design and Kurdistani materials," Barzani said.
Tourism and Municipality Minister Sasan Auni described the ring road as contributing to "decrease traffic jam in downtown Erbil."
The KRG has repeatedly blamed the conflict with the Islamic State (ISIS), a global downturn in the oil prices, and budget disputes with Baghdad for delays in infrastructure projects.
Work is now beginning on the 70-kilometer-long 150 meter road.
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