Baghdad, Erbil agree on lowest-cost route for Development Road
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq’s federal and Kurdish governments have agreed on the “most efficient and least costly” route for the country’s flagship Development Road project, caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s Adviser Nasser Al-Asadi said on Wednesday.
Al-Asadi told Shafaq News that Baghdad and Erbil are in “ongoing coordination” over the final alignment of the corridor, which will run from Basra to Duhok and then into Turkiye, explaining that the government selected the stretch from western Nineveh toward Duhok—ending at the Fishkhabur border crossing—as the optimal route. “The distance from the Rabia area in Nineveh to the Turkish border is 55 kilometers. It is the best and most suitable option.”
Read more: Iraq's ambitious Development Road Project: Concerns and challenges
According to al-Asadi, the route has been a recurring topic in meetings between Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani and al-Sudani, with direct coordination also underway between the federal and Regional transport ministries. He stressed there are “no obstacles or disputes” over the alignment and that the final arrangement “will ensure mutual benefit for all parties.”
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Construction on the Development Road is scheduled to begin in 2026. Government feasibility studies estimate the project will generate billions of dollars in future revenue.
Iraq, Turkiye, the UAE, and Qatar signed a four-party agreement in April 2024 to advance the project, which includes a 1,200-km high-speed highway and electric railway linking the Gulf to Europe via Turkiye. The investment envelope is projected at $17 billion—$6.5 billion for the highway and $10.5 billion for the rail line.
The project will be built in three phases running through 2028, 2033, and 2050. According to official data, the project is estimated to create 100,000 jobs in its early stages and up to one million once fully completed.
Read more: Iraq’s Development Road: Geopolitics, rentierism, and broader connectivity
