LONDON: Authorities in the Syrian Arab Republic signed an agreement on Monday with a Qatari firm to rehabilitate and expand a 170 km road between Damascus and the Iraqi border. The Syrian General Establishment for Road Transport and Qatar’s Al-Mohannadi for Roads agreed to the $147 million project. Officials said it is part of efforts to rebuild transport infrastructure and strengthen regional trade links, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency. The main highway will connect the Al-Busayri junction in Damascus to the Al-Tanf border crossing with Iraq. Construction is expected to take 900 days, as per the agreement. Transport Minister Yarub Badr said the deal is part of a road rehabilitation program launched in summer 2026 to restore key routes. The highway runs through Syria’s eastern desert and connects Iraq to Syrian Mediterranean ports. Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh said the Syrian government has allocated $193 million for major road projects in the 2026 budget, with an additional $450 million set aside in the 2027 draft budget. The government has also proposed allocating $200 million to railway projects next year, he added.