Iran’s set to open its longest highway linking Isfahan and Shiraz in October

I ran’s new highway connecting the central town of Isfahan to Shiraz in the south is set to open as early as October, Iranian outlet Press TV cites Deputy Transport Minister Kheirollah Khademi as saying. The 212 km highway reportedly cost some USD 500 mn to build, half of which was provided by private investors, Khademi said.

What we know: The highway will cut journey times between Isfahan and Shiraz by some 134 km, or two hours, and will cut Iran’s fuel bill by 100 mn liters annually, Khademi said. The road set to open in October covers six out of eight sections of the 224 km-long highway.

Iran has been expanding its transportation network to ease road traffic as well as facilitate cargo transit from other countries, the outlet writes. Iran recently also upgraded the roads leading to its Shahid Rajaee Port complex. It also inked an MoU with Iraq to complete the Shalamcheh-Basra railway and is looking to develop a new railway linking Khosravi in Iran to Iraq’s Karbala.