A $37 Million Reconstruction Plan
Syria's Ministry of Transport announced a plan it described as comprehensive, with capital exceeding $37 million (USD), to rehabilitate the road and bridge network across Deir ez-Zor province. The program targets infrastructure damaged over years of conflict and by recent flooding.
The plan was reviewed on 7 June 2026 during an expanded meeting that brought together Transport Minister Yaarub Badr, Deir ez-Zor Governor Ziyad al-Ayesh, and Finance Minister Mohammad Yasser Burnieh, who joined by video link, alongside the director general of the Road Transport Corporation, Muadh al-Najjar.
Where the Money Goes
The technical plan sets aside $6.7 million for six main maintenance projects covering the Deir ez-Zor–Mayadin–Boukamal, Deir ez-Zor–Hasakah, and Deir ez-Zor–Raqqa corridors. A further $30.5 million is allocated to four strategic projects to rebuild key bridges and vital roads.
Officials also began preparing a new highway linking Damascus, Palmyra, and Deir ez-Zor. The finance minister proposed constructing two new bridges, in Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, built to modern engineering standards to strengthen regional connectivity.
Bridges Out of Service
The meeting listed six bridges no longer in service, including the al-Siyasiya bridge linking Deir ez-Zor city with its northern countryside and the wider Jazira region, alongside the Mayadin, al-Ashara, al-Baqaan, al-Baghuz, and Halabiya–Zalabiya crossings.
Most were destroyed during the years of war against the group that once controlled the area, with several struck from the air. Some now operate only over temporary military steel spans laid across the damaged sections.
Reconnecting the East
The Deir ez-Zor–Damascus road was folded into the plan after repeated public demands for repairs. Officials noted it has narrowed and gone without maintenance for more than 20 years, and that accidents on it have killed civilians.
Deir ez-Zor sits at a junction fanning out toward Raqqa, Hasakah, and Damascus. Its roads carry commercial convoys arriving from Iraq and move oil and farm produce from the eastern region into Syria's interior, giving the corridors clear economic weight.
Immediate Start Pledged
The finance minister affirmed full support for securing financing and accelerating the work, while the governor pressed for modern paving and construction techniques to address the heavy deterioration of the existing network.
Participants agreed to begin emergency and integrated technical works immediately, aiming to restore the infrastructure as quickly as possible.