A National Road Overhaul
Syria's Transport Ministry has begun carrying out a broad plan to rehabilitate the country's central road network to the latest international technical standards, the transport minister, Yaarub Badr, said on 28 June 2026.
The minister set out the program at a news conference, describing the current phase as one focused on attracting bids from specialized international firms so the works can be delivered at high levels of quality and efficiency.
The M45 Spine
At the center of the plan is the international M45 highway, which runs from the Nasib crossing in the south to the Bab al-Hawa crossing in the north.
The route passes through Damascus, Homs, Hama, Saraqib and Aleppo, linking several of the country's largest cities and tying the network to two of its main border crossings, a corridor long central to domestic transit and cross-border trade.
Linking the East
The plan also includes a strategic road connecting Damascus to Deir ez-Zor, intended to strengthen links with the eastern regions of the country.
Alongside it, the ministry named a second axis running from Damascus through Palmyra to Deir ez-Zor, with the two eastern routes presented as part of a wider effort to reconnect central Syria with its east.
Core Highway Axes
Other priority works named in the plan include the Nasib–Damascus, Damascus–Homs and Homs–Aleppo expressways, as well as a link between Saraqib and Idlib.
The minister said these axes formed part of a comprehensive vision to modernize the country's overland transport network rather than a set of isolated repairs.
Connecting Governorates
By rehabilitating these arteries at once, the plan is aimed at connecting Syria's governorates and border crossings under a single program.
The minister tied its execution to international engineering standards and the involvement of outside firms, framing upgraded roads as a backbone for moving people and goods across the country.