Damascus–Deir ez-Zor Highway Rehabilitation

A Strategic Axis Linking Damascus with the East

The project rehabilitates the road between Damascus and Deir ez-Zor via Palmyra and adds a second carriageway alongside it, turning the axis into a dual carriageway. It is led by the General Establishment for Road Transport at the Ministry of Transport and is divided into two segments: Damascus–Palmyra and Palmyra–Deir ez-Zor. The establishment's Director General, Muath Najjar, told SANA on 19 August 2026 that the axis connects the capital with the eastern region and serves transit traffic towards Iraq and the Gulf states, and that upgrading it is intended to raise its traffic capacity, improve road safety and support economic activity and development in the east.

Why a Second Carriageway

The existing road has one lane in each direction with no central divider. Najjar told Al-Ikhbariah on 1 August 2026 that the second carriageway is designed to separate the two directions of traffic, and that both the new carriageway and the existing road will be fitted with full road-safety equipment, including road markings and traffic signs.

Scope as First Announced

In statements reported by Al Jazeera Net on 26 July and by Al-Ikhbariah on 1 August 2026, Najjar put the length of the project at 425 kilometres and its execution period at about two years; according to Al Jazeera Net, he also estimated its cost at about USD 300 million. He said the project combines building a new road with maintaining the current one, that maintenance of the existing road would begin during 2026, and that in the meantime the establishment would treat hazardous spots on the road and install traffic signs and safety equipment.

Transport Minister Yarub Badr described the Palmyra–Deir ez-Zor road as one of the vital routes carrying growing passenger and freight traffic. He said the Damascus–Deir ez-Zor road had been listed among the ministry's priority projects for rehabilitating the road network, and that the ministry is working to raise road-safety standards and improve the efficiency of infrastructure (Al-Ikhbariah, 1 August 2026).

Request for Proposals

The establishment launched internal and external requests for proposals for the two segments. On 1 August 2026 Najjar said it was evaluating bids from local and foreign companies and would announce the winning offer once the evaluation was complete. According to Al Jazeera Net, the head of the roads committee at the Syrian Engineers Syndicate said the road had been split into two segments so that more than one contractor could be engaged, and told Al-Ikhbariah that the requirements included modern equipment no older than 2018 models and engineering staff with at least 10 to 15 years of experience. The award followed in August 2026, as set out in the updates below.

Update — 2026-08-19

The project moved from tendering to award. On 19 August 2026 the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted Muath Najjar, Director General of the General Establishment for Road Transport at the Ministry of Transport, as announcing that the request for proposals for the two projects developing the Damascus–Palmyra–Deir ez-Zor axis had been awarded to Saudi Arabia's Al-Rawaf and Syria's Al-Kawati, at a combined value of about USD 300 million and an execution period of 780 days, after the offer judged best on technical and economic grounds was selected. The two projects cover rehabilitating the existing Damascus–Palmyra and Palmyra–Deir ez-Zor roads and building a second carriageway for each, turning the axis into a dual carriageway. Najjar said the establishment had been studying more than 420 kilometres of the axis since March 2026, and that the works include treating damaged sections, recycling parts of the old road and building new sections. Execution is to begin once the contract has been ratified and signed by the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic for Cabinet Affairs. According to Syria TV, the establishment announced the award officially on 20 August 2026, the date Al-Ikhbariah also gives for the award.

The same SANA report sets out a three-stage evaluation: verification of legal documents and guarantees, then a technical assessment requiring a minimum of 70 points to qualify, then a financial assessment in which an economic price is calculated by dividing the financial bid by the technical score. Najjar added that the Damascus–Aleppo road project has entered the negotiation stage following its own request for proposals.

Update — 2026-08-31

On 31 August 2026 the Ministry of Transport published technical details of the project through its official channels, as reported by Al-Ikhbariah. The works are split into two main segments: Damascus–Palmyra, about 226 kilometres from the Baghdad Junction bridge to the junction of the western Palmyra bypass with the Deir ez-Zor–Palmyra intersection; and Palmyra–Deir ez-Zor, about 220 kilometres from that junction to the administrative boundary of Deir ez-Zor Governorate. The ministry put the total length of the segments at about 446 kilometres, against the 425 kilometres given in early August.

The new carriageway will have two traffic lanes of 3.75 metres each and a 3-metre shoulder, and a central median at least 8 metres wide will separate it from the opposite carriageway, giving each direction two lanes. The project also includes two interchanges and a large number of culverts and crossings. Rest areas and road services will be located during the detailed design, with at least one stopping area every 30 kilometres. The ministry put the execution period at about 780 calendar days for each segment, with rehabilitation of the existing road running in parallel with construction of the second carriageway. The contract ends at the administrative boundary of Deir ez-Zor Governorate and does not extend to Al-Bukamal; roads inside the governorate fall under the relevant technical services directorates.

Update — 2026-09-03

On 3 September 2026 Transport Minister Yarub Badr met representatives of Al-Rawaf and Al-Kawati at the ministry in Damascus to discuss the facilities needed to begin executing the rehabilitation and development of the Damascus–Palmyra–Deir ez-Zor axis, according to SANA's Arabic and English reports of 4 September. The minister said the ministry was completing the procedural steps required under the applicable laws and would provide the available facilities to speed up execution and resolve field challenges. The meeting was attended by Al-Rawaf's Chief Business Officer and its General Manager in Syria, representatives of Al-Kawati, and the Director General of the General Establishment for Road Transport.