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

Syria has allocated about $670 million from its 2027 state budget for urgent repairs to the main highway network, Transport Minister Yarub Badr said Tuesday.

Addressing Arab transport ministers in Alexandria, Egypt, Badr said infrastructure development was a government priority and central to restoring Syria’s role in regional transit trade, SANA reported.

He said highway rehabilitation contracts were being awarded through international tenders, with current phases assigned to companies from Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Arrangements with Arab engineering consultants were also underway.

Badr said preparations were being made to use a $200 million World Bank grant for priority railway repairs. These were the minister’s stated funding figures; the report did not provide individual project timetables.

Source: SANA