ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Thursday arrived in Basra province to inaugurate the first part of the Development Road Project, said his office.
The first section is 62 kilometers long, connecting al-Faw Port Umm Qasr Port, said the office in a Facebook post.
The project will consist of seven phases, each to be assigned to a different company.
Spanning 1,200 kilometers, the $17 billion Development Road Project will run from Faw Port on the Gulf to the country’s northern border with Turkey. The project includes railways and highways designed to transport goods and passengers, with the aim of positioning Iraq as a regional trade hub. It is expected to generate annual revenues of $4 billion.
Iraqi officials say the project will strengthen Iraq’s geopolitical standing, boost the national economy, and create thousands of jobs by linking the country to European markets via Turkey.
Maysam al-Safi, Iraqi transport ministry spokesperson, told Rudaw on Monday that the “basic version” of the project will be completed by the end of this month, adding that this will pave the way for companies interested in participating to engage in tendering.
The plan, however, has raised concerns from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as the proposed route excludes major highway or railway links to the Kurdistan Region. Erbil has warned that centralizing trade routes through federal territories could weaken the Region’s control over cross-border trade and customs revenues.