Local
Within the framework of government initiatives aimed at upgrading infrastructure and modernizing transportation networks across southern governorates, the Roads and Bridges Directorate at the Ministry of Construction and Housing announced that the overall completion rate of the project connecting the city of Nasiriyah to the International Expressway No. 1 has reached forty percent. This vital corridor represents one of the strategic projects funded under the Emergency Support Law for Food Security and Development, primarily designed to bolster the national highway network, reduce transit times, and unlock promising economic and development opportunities throughout Dhi Qar Governorate. Detailing the operational progress on the ground, the directorate explained that this achieved percentage follows the completion of asphalt paving across approximately twelve kilometers in separate sections, alongside ongoing backfilling, compaction, sub-base gravel laying, and the construction of drainage culverts. Moreover, all structural concrete works for the major overpass at the expressway interchange have been finalized. The entire roadway stretches for twenty-four point six kilometers and features two dual-lane carriageways measuring twelve meters in width in each direction, separated by a ten-and-a-half-meter median strip, along with four underpasses, various culverts, and a ground intersection connecting Nasiriyah to the ring road leading toward the North Nasiriyah Bridge. The announcement coincided with a field inspection conducted by the Director General of the Roads and Bridges Directorate, Ammar Adel Hussein, who surveyed site operations to verify adherence to technical standards, safety measures, and quality benchmarks. The Director General also chaired an extensive meeting at the resident engineer headquarters, attended by the head of the supervision and follow-up department, the expressway roads director, and a representative from the executing company. The discussions focused on eliminating existing operational obstacles, with explicit directives issued to swiftly resolve service conflicts, particularly power transmission towers and municipal boundary interferences within Nasiriyah, in tight coordination with relevant entities under strictly defined timelines to ensure timely project delivery.
