Construction & Housing

Iraq's design and construction industry has been in a state of disrepair for more than a decade as a result of the trade sanctions imposed during the reign of the previous regime. The reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq has created a huge demand for building equipment and basic building materials, finishing products, engineering skills, technology, environmental awareness and maintenance systems. With international agencies bringing projects into the country and pressing for the involvement of local companies, Iraqi construction firms stand to learn much about western industry practices.

The shortage of housing and the poor quality of existing structures mean that Iraq's housing market is one of the biggest potential markets in the country, with an estimated shortage of 1.4 million housing units. Additionally, there is a desperate need for the construction of both prisons and schools. There is a great deal of confusion over land ownership, with uncertainty surrounding issues such as titles and deeds having an adverse effect on financing, mortgages and other banking functions.

Two projects were funded by the 2004 budget, with three lower-income initiatives provided for by funds from 2003. The former Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) also allocated $100 million for an additional 13 housing projects. The CPA also completed a number of road and bridge projects, along with the road projects being undertaken by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and US engineering firm Bechtel.

Iraq has an extensive network of approximately 24,000 miles of roads and highways, the majority of which were constructed in the 1970s and 1980s and have not been sufficiently maintained since. The strain caused by both heavy military use and overlapped trucks have added to the problems, producing poor road conditions throughout the country.

Baghdad is connected to Iraq's various cities by a series of 'primary' roads - often consisting of four lanes - along with a network of military roads facilitating troop movement along the borders for the purpose of defence. There are also a number of smaller secondary roads that need paving, many of which also require expansion

There is a clear lack of road safety, due to a combination of poor road conditions, missing signage, congested areas and poor interchanges. Public sector road administration and maintenance is gradually improving but is still in need of considerable funding, with a great deal of work still needing to be done. The State Commission for Roads and Bridges (SCRB), part of the Ministry of Housing and Construction, is responsible for the expressway and all national roads and bridges not within municipalities.

There are in excess of 1,000 bridges in Iraq, providing crossings for the country's rivers, including the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. These bridges are in varying states of disrepair, with the Al Mat, Tikrit and Khazir bridges the main ones currently in need of renovation. Some of the bridges are only temporary pontoon bridges that need permanent structures.