Construction begins on Iraq’s tallest bridge in Erbil province

ERBIL, Iraq — Construction has begun on what engineers say will be the tallest bridge in Iraq, located along a dual-carriageway project linking Erbil to the Koisincak district. Project engineer Kifi Fares said the Shursh Bridge, crossing near the spillway of the Degle Dam, is one of the central engineering features of the road scheme. According to Fares, the bridge will stretch 250 meters in length, with three lanes in each direction, and will rise 48 meters from ground level to the top of its piers, with spans of roughly 80 meters between supports. The design combines reinforced concrete piers with a steel superstructure. Ozan Company, the contractor, has started foundation work for the bridge piers, Fares said. Within the broader road project, 30 kilometers of infrastructure preparation along the route have been completed and 22 kilometers have been asphalted. The Shursh Bridge is described by project engineers as the highest bridge built to date in both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as a whole. No completion date was provided in the announcement.