ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani inaugurated the $160-million Gomaspan-Smaquli highway in Erbil province on Saturday, labeling it as part of a broader initiative to serve the Region’s people. 

“This achievement is the result of the efforts, goodwill, and success of this country,” Barzani said at the inauguration ceremony, adding that the highway will benefit the Kurdistan Region’s people by easing their transportation routes. 

He labeled the project as part of a broader goal of turning “this location into an important tourist spot for Erbil and the Kurdistan Region’s people to benefit from,” stressing that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has “plenty of plans to develop the tourism sector.” 

The $160-million Gomaspan-Smaquli road, a 22-kilometer-long highway, features 10-meter-wide emergency lanes on both sides, with the 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.

It was completed a year ahead of schedule. 

Aerial footage shows the $160-million Gomaspan-Smaquli highway in Erbil province ahead of its inauguration by Kurdistan Region PM Masrour Barzani on Sunday pic.twitter.com/MrYDx3MfJS

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Khalid Khoshnaw, head of the implementing company Hemn Group, said at the inauguration ceremony that the highway was built “with the highest standards and best quality.” 

“This was among the most difficult projects that we have implemented due to the difficulty and mountainous terrain,” Khoshnaw said. 

In September, Prime Minister Barzani inaugurated a multi-million dollar road project connecting the Sheikhan district to Lalish. 

A year prior, the prime minister 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.