Illustrative file photo of a desert road in Syria, Sept. 27, 2009. It does not show the current survey or establish current road conditions. Photo: Alen Ištoković/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0. Photo source · License

Syrian military engineering units have begun a field survey along the route of the planned Damascus–Deir Ezzor highway project, the Defense Ministry said Monday.

The work follows a formal request from the Transport Ministry and is intended to check and secure the area around the proposed route, according to a ministry statement reported by SANA.

The report did not announce completion of the survey or the opening of a new highway.

In August, the roads authority said Saudi company Al-Rawaf and Syrian company Al-Kuwaiti would rehabilitate the Damascus–Palmyra and Palmyra–Deir Ezzor roads and build a second carriageway, with investment of about $300 million and an implementation period of up to 780 days.

Source: SANA