$37 Million Plan to Rehabilitate Deir ez-Zor Roads and Bridges

Ministerial Meeting

Transport Minister Yarab Badr convened an expanded meeting on 7 June 2026 with Deir ez-Zor Governor Ziad al-Ayesh, attended by relevant officials and joined remotely by Finance Minister Mohammad Yasser Barnieh via video link. The session focused on assessing damage to the transport network caused by years of deliberate destruction and recent flooding of the Euphrates River, and on setting intervention priorities to ensure traffic continuity and improve essential services.

Core Maintenance Projects

Director General of the General Establishment for Road Transport Muadh al-Najjar presented six primary maintenance projects with an estimated cost of $6.7 million, covering the following vital corridors:

• Deir ez-Zor – Mayadin – Abu Kamal axis
• Deir ez-Zor – Hasakah axis
• Deir ez-Zor – Raqqa axis

These projects aim to improve the efficiency of roads connecting urban centres and supporting regional trade and transport movement.

Strategic Bridge Rehabilitation

Al-Najjar also unveiled four strategic projects for the rehabilitation of major bridges and key road maintenance, valued at up to $30.5 million. These include the rehabilitation of the al-Siyasiyeh and Mayadin bridges, alongside the new Damascus – Palmyra – Deir ez-Zor road project. Finance Minister Barnieh proposed the construction of two new bridges in Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa to international engineering standards, with the aim of strengthening inter-governorate connectivity and supporting economic activity and investment.

Background and Context

The plan comes against the backdrop of extensive damage inflicted on bridges by the former regime, compounded by the deterioration of emergency embankments due to the recent rise in Euphrates water levels. The Deir ez-Zor Emergency Response Committee had announced in late May that the al-Ashara bridge sustained damage from strong water flow, coinciding with ongoing reinforcement works and the temporary suspension of river ferries.

Commitments and Directives

The Finance Minister confirmed his ministry's full support for the proposed projects and its commitment to securing the necessary funding and accelerating implementation procedures. The Transport Minister stressed the need to strengthen coordination among relevant bodies to ensure projects are delivered on schedule. These efforts align with directives issued by President Ahmad al-Sharaa during his recent visit to Deir ez-Zor, in which he called for addressing the state of bridges and accelerating the rehabilitation of vital infrastructure.