ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday inaugurated the Korre-Shaqlawa-Qandil road, saying the project aims to shorten travel distances and improve road safety, boosting tourism and trade in the area.

The Korre-Shaqlawa-Qandil road is a 10-kilometer dual carriageway with two tunnels and three intersections. It is set to reduce travel time between Erbil and Soran by more than 30 mins, ease traffic congestion, and improve road safety, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 

The project was completed at a cost of approximately $60 million and was “built entirely by local companies and using local labor,” the KRG said.

“I hope there will always be many examples like it, and that we can build all the roads of Kurdistan based on these [international] standards and connect our cities to one another,” Barzani said while inaugurating the road. 

“This will undoubtedly make travel much easier for citizens and for tourists who visit Kurdistan and for trade, and it will shorten transport periods and link the cities together,” he said, adding, “This road will have an effect on these matters and will help citizens.”

In late October, Barzani also inaugurated the Sheikhan-Ba’adre dual carriageway project, which aims to improve road safety and connectivity between Erbil and areas of Duhok province, alongside the completion of roads connecting nearby villages.

The move comes as part of a broader governmental effort to restore and construct roads in the Region, with a series of similar projects launched in recent years.

In late August, KRG announced a project to construct a new 60-meter road in Erbil at a cost of nearly $27.7 million, saying it is expected to have a “noticeable” impact on traffic flow in the capital.

In October 2025, Barzani inaugurated the 160-million-dollar Gomaspan-Smaquli highway in Erbil. In September of the same year, Barzani inaugurated a multi-million-dollar road project connecting the Sheikhan district to Lalish.

In 2024, the premier 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 ninth 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.