Maintenance and rehabilitation works for several key roads and axes are ongoing in Latakia Governorate, as part of the 2026 plan. These include repairing damages and subsidence, renewing asphalt layers, maintaining bridges and water drainage structures, and improving traffic safety facilities, all contributing to enhancing road network efficiency and facilitating citizen mobility.
The works are distributed across various sites in the governorate, based on priorities derived from field surveys and damage assessments, alongside technical supervision of implementation and material testing to ensure compliance with approved standards.
Implementation of Works with Local and International Technical Specifications
Abdul Aziz Haj Mahmoud, Deputy Director of Technical Services in Latakia, told SANA correspondent on Friday that rehabilitation works included laying new asphalt layers, treating side collapses, constructing box culverts, and replacing concrete culverts for water drainage. Additionally, traffic roundabouts were improved, traffic signs were installed, road sides were leveled, and side trenches were cleared.
Haj Mahmoud stated that the implementation relies on local and international technical specifications, including those of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), as well as specifications, requirements, and directives issued by competent authorities.
Completion of Road Projects Before Year-End
Haj Mahmoud noted varying stages of project implementation, with some still in preparatory phases and infrastructure setup, while others are nearing completion. He expected road projects included in the maintenance plan to be completed before the end of the year, according to specified schedules and weather conditions.
He pointed out that the main challenges include the aging of maintenance and construction machinery and the need to secure modern and advanced equipment, as well as a shortage of qualified technical staff, necessitating the training and qualification of young personnel to meet work requirements.
Regional Topography and High Costs as Key Maintenance Challenges
For his part, Mas’ab Ahmad, Director of the Latakia Branch of the General Establishment for Road Transport, clarified that maintenance works covered the Latakia-Ariha road, Qashtal Bridge, Bridges B49 and B53, Al-Kafar Bridge, and the treatment of subsidence in the Marj al-Zawiya area.
Ahmad stated that the value of contracts signed under the 2026 maintenance plan reached approximately 270 million Syrian pounds, out of a total plan value of about 350 million Syrian pounds. These works involve participation from both the public and private sectors.
Ahmad indicated that maintenance priorities are determined based on field surveys and road condition assessments, focusing on the most damaged sections. He highlighted that mountainous terrain, high costs of engineering works, particularly for bridges and retaining walls, and accumulated damage to infrastructure pose challenges to implementation.
Field Efforts to Facilitate Residents' Movement
At implementation sites, asphalt workshops are working on several roads, including the entrance to Al-Shabtiliya village and the Ras Shamra roundabout axis. Basem Ghanem, supervisor of one of the road works workshops, explained that the work requires long hours due to the necessity of laying and leveling asphalt concrete before it hardens, especially with winter approaching, while ensuring adherence to specified technical standards.
He noted that road rehabilitation facilitates residents' mobility and access to workplaces and production facilities, in addition to reducing damage to vehicles and lowering maintenance costs.
Earlier this month, on the 2nd, Latakia Municipality implemented a project to rehabilitate and develop the city's main entrance and maintain its roundabouts, in cooperation with the executing company "Elite Global".
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
Comments (0)