Iraq rolls out new plan to reduce chronic Baghdad traffic

Adam Lucente

This picture shows traffic in Baghdad's Tahrir Square with the iconic Freedom Monument, a 50-metre (165-foot) long bas relief that honours the 1950 revolution which overthrew Iraq's monarchy, on November 7, 2022.(Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images) — This picture shows traffic in Baghdad's Tahrir Square with the iconic Freedom Monument, a 50-metre (165-foot) long bas relief that honours the 1950 revolution which overthrew Iraq's monarchy, on November 7, 2022. — Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

The Iraqi government announced on Thursday plans to reduce vehicle traffic in Baghdad, a chronic issue that has burdened the Iraqi capital for years.

Much of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's plan involves building new bridges and overpasses, as well as developing several intersections in the city, according to a series of tweets from the Iraqi government.

Sudani announced the plans during a ceremony to inaugurate a road connecting Dora in southern Baghdad to Yusufiya south of the city.

بعد افتتاح طريق "الدورة - اليوسفية" رئيس مجلس الوزراء @mohamedshia يطلق الحزمة الأولى من مشاريع فكّ الاختناقات المرورية في بغداد. pic.twitter.com/TSp36jlOLY

The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Search

Iraq rolls out new plan to reduce chronic Baghdad traffic

Successive Iraqi governments have tried but failed to address the problem of traffic in the capital. Sudani's plan involves building new bridges and overpasses.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Continue reading this exclusive analysis

Original reporting and analysis unavailable elsewhere. Subscribe to AL-MONITOR to read this story and access everything we publish

Read By