ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Gomaspan-Smaquli road project is nearly complete and is set to reopen in the coming weeks, a director from Hemn Group told The New Region on Thursday.

Ameer Abdulkhaliq, Director of Road Projects for Hemn Group, a leading construction and engineering company in the Kurdistan Region, told The New Region that "99 percent of the Gomaspan-Sumaquli road project has been completed, with only the details of line marking and traffic signs remaining."

"We expect the road to reopen to citizens within the next two weeks," the director added.

The two-lane road is 22 kilometers long and features 10-meter-wide emergency lanes on both sides, with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) stating that the project will enhance "connectivity, tourism, and economic development" in the Region.

"The project has mobilised over 600 pieces of heavy equipment and employed 2,000 local workers, contributing significantly to job creation and the development of local technical capacity," a KRG statement on the project released in late August said.

"A unique feature of the route is its passage around the Gomaspan Dam, positioning it as a future tourism landmark within the Region," the statement continued. "Once open, the road is expected to play a key role in reviving the tourism sector and attracting visitors to the area."

The dam, which was inaugurated in October 2024, has a storage capacity of around 100 million cubic meters and can provide water for 16,000 square meters of agricultural land.

Separately, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in September inaugurated a multi-million dollar road project connecting the Sheikhan district to Lalish.

In October 2024, Barzani laid the foundation stone for the Erbil-Koya two-sided highway, which had an estimated cost of around 440 billion dinars. The highway is 46 kilometers long and 32 meters wide, containing five overpasses to connect outlying roads to the highway.

Since the 9th KRG cabinet came to office, over 700 road projects have been implemented and close to 17,000 traffic signs have been installed on the Region’s roads.