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OPEC member Iraq intends to invite bids for the construction of a 100-km ring motorway around its capital Baghdad within a post-war road expansion and rehabilitation plan, the local press reported on Monday.
In a statement carried by Aliqtisad News and other Iraqi publications, Baghdad’s Urban Planning Director Fatima Al-Hasnawi said the project would be offered to national and foreign companies after a study on the road is completed within a few days.
“After a few days, we will offer this project to investors…the road is intended to ease traffic bottlenecks in the capital,” she said.
She noted that the project could be awarded to “specialised local or foreign firms” and that funding could be secured from the state budget or road tolls to be imposed on motorists.
Hasnawi did not mention project costs or the expected date of completion.
(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)
