ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday inaugurated the Kasnazan-Gomaspan road, a 16-kilometer highway that would cut down travel time by around 30 minutes. 

The stretch includes five overpasses and one underpass, with each side being 10.75 meters wide. It has also been equipped with 50 irrigation points that would eliminate potential rainwater accumulation. The road runs parallel to an 8-kilometer emergency lane.

“We are very pleased, and proud, that we have companies that can implement projects like this with this high level in the Kurdistan Region,” the premier said in a speech at the launch event, saying the project was completed in “record” time.

The key highway is being inaugurated 10 months before its initially anticipated completion date.

The prime minister noted that the new road will allow people to travel under safer and easier conditions, noting that there are many tourist attraction sites surrounding the area, such as the Gomaspan dam. 

Previously, the road linking Erbil and Gomaspan was a one-sided stretch with frequent pits and irregularities in the road, with the unfit conditions leading to dozens of car accidents annually, including many fatal incidents.

"We have all used this road… it used to be very dangerous. But now, through the way this new road has been built, people can visit their desired destinations in shorter time, and people living around Erbil can now visit Erbil easier to conduct their affairs,” Barzani said. 

The premier called on citizens to “observe traffic regulations in order to protect their own lives and the lives of other people, and avoid speeding.” 

The project was completed by Hemin Group, a Kurdistan Region-based firm. “Each side of the road will consist of three lanes, of which one is for rescue and emergency; all previous irregular slopes and bends have been eliminated and drivers will be able to drive safely at 100 km/h,” Ameer Ahmed, an engineer at Hemin group told The New Region earlier on Tuesday, ahead of the project’s inauguration. 

The initiative comes as part of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) plan to revamp the traffic sector. Since the 9th KRG cabinet came to office, over 700 road projects have been implemented.

In October 2025, Barzani inaugurated the Gomaspan-Smaquli road, a 22-kilometer-highway that plugs into the Gomaspan eastern side. 

In October 2024, 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.