Recently, a planned highway between Baghdad and Samara in Iraq is moving from the blueprint to the procurement process. The Iraq Transportation Economic Corridor project has recently released a general procurement announcement, planning to advance the construction of the first 100 kilometers of the Baghdad Samara Expressway E2. The World Bank has approved a project financing plan totaling $900 million in June 2026. The six lane highway extending northward from Baghdad will become an important component of the construction of Iraq's transportation and economic corridor.

E2 initiates procurement for the first phase

The project is implemented by the General Administration of Roads and Bridges of Iraq and belongs to the international competitive procurement plan. According to the procurement announcement, the first phase of E2 project is expected to invest approximately 726 million US dollars, mainly for the construction of a 100 kilometer new highway between Baghdad and Samara, and supporting the construction of about 10 kilometers of branch roads connecting surrounding rural areas. Specific bidding documents, contractor qualification requirements, and construction contract arrangements will be announced in the future. At present, the estimated investment amount of 726 million US dollars in the procurement announcement is not the amount of the signed construction contract. The specific winning bidder and start date still need to wait for the official bidding results.

700 million US dollars to build a new highway

The first phase of the E2 project is expected to invest approximately 726 million US dollars and is an important component of the Iraq Transportation Economic Corridor project. The project design adopts the standard of a two-way six lane expressway, and related engineering will also consider road drainage, climate adaptability, safety facilities, and intelligent transportation systems. After the completion of this highway, it will connect Baghdad and Samarra, improve the north-south transportation network in Iraq, and provide more efficient channels for the flow of people and goods along the route. Keywords: infrastructure news and information, highways, Iraq, transportation

Six lanes connecting rural areas

In addition to the 100 kilometer main line, the project also includes the construction of approximately 10 kilometers of branch roads to connect surrounding rural areas, taking into account the needs of fast passage on the main line and rural accessibility along the route. The design adopts the standard of a two-way six lane expressway, and coordinates road drainage, climate adaptability, safety facilities, and intelligent transportation system. The project belongs to the international competitive procurement plan, and the subsequent bidding documents, contractor qualification requirements, and construction contract arrangements will be announced one after another. The winning bidder and start date are yet to be determined by the formal bidding results.Editor/Gao Xue