Damascus, Oct. 26 (SANA) Syria signed a $147 million contract with a Qatari construction company on Monday to upgrade a key highway linking Damascus to the Iraqi border, as part of efforts to rebuild transport infrastructure and strengthen regional trade links.
The agreement, signed between the General Establishment for Road Transport and Qatar‘s Almohannadi for Roads, Trading and Contracting (MRTC), covers the rehabilitation and expansion of a 170-kilometer road between the al-Busayri junction and the al-Tanf border crossing.
The project also includes a 45-kilometer section connecting al-Sabaa Biyar to al-Busayri. Construction is expected to take 900 days.
The contract was signed at the Cham Hotel in Damascus by Moaz Najjar, director general of the establishment, and Abdullah Adnan al-Zattam, CEO of the Qatari company, in the presence of Transport Minister Yarub Badr and Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh.
The highway runs through Syria’s eastern desert and forms part of a transport corridor linking Iraq to Syrian ports on the Mediterranean coast.
Badr said the agreement was part of a broader road rehabilitation program launched in the summer of 2026 to restore major routes across the country.
He said the government planned to sign six additional road construction contracts and three supervision contracts with international companies.
The minister said the al-Tanf–al-Sabaa Biyar–al-Busayri route would complement the Damascus–Palmyra–Deir Ezzor highway, whose rehabilitation contract is expected to be signed soon.
The projects are intended to strengthen Syria’s role as a trade and transit hub connecting the Gulf region with Europe, he added.
Najjar said the project would go beyond repairing the existing highway to include the construction of a second carriageway and the installation of road safety features.
He described the route as an important economic link between Damascus and the Iraqi border, saying the improvements would facilitate freight transport, encourage investment and support economic activity.
Al-Zattam said the Qatari company’s decision to operate in Syria reflected its commitment to supporting reconstruction and infrastructure development.
He said the company aimed to contribute to rebuilding Syria’s transport network and pledged to complete the project to the required standards.
Finance Minister Barnieh said the government had allocated $193 million for major road projects in its 2026 budget, with a further $450 million earmarked in the draft budget for 2027.
The government has also proposed allocating $200 million for railway projects next year, he added.
Barnieh said investment in roads and railways was part of a wider strategy to capitalize on Syria’s geographic position and develop transport corridors connecting the Gulf, Europe and regional markets.
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