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Aleppo Zero Pothole Road Rehabilitation Project
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Project Overview
Aleppo Governorate launched the "Zero Pothole" project, a service plan aimed at repairing road damage and improving infrastructure across the city and its surrounding administrative areas. The project was announced on Sunday, April 19, 2026, after a meeting chaired by Aleppo Governor Engineer Azzam Al-Ghareeb that went over the technical and logistical readiness of the engineering and field crews, together with the implementation plan and its schedule.
The project was scheduled to run for two months (60 days) beginning April 20, 2026, covering the city of Aleppo and ten administrative districts, including both main arterial roads and secondary streets. The plan addresses accumulated road damage caused by intensive use and adverse weather conditions. In its news item of July 6, 2026, the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment said the plan was widened during implementation to take in extra routes and sites as needs on the ground grew, and that weather affected some stages, so the works ran past the original period. Earlier, on April 23, 2026, Enab Baladi had reported, citing the Aleppo City Council, that the time frame for the council's works was open and that asphalt maintenance would continue until the start of next winter.
Implementation Approach
Works are carried out using asphalt mix (bituminous concrete), with workshops distributed across multiple sites to enable parallel operations. This approach is intended to speed up progress while limiting disruption to traffic flow. The Governor noted the requirement to adhere to technical standards throughout all phases of execution and to maintain continuous field supervision for the quality and durability of repairs.
Bodies Taking Part in Delivery
Aleppo Governorate launched the project, and the Governor chaired a meeting to assess progress, according to Al-Watan newspaper on May 8, 2026. Inside the city, SANA reported on April 21, 2026 that the first phase had begun, with workshops starting in the area of the first service directorate, under a plan to reach a pothole-free city across the five service sectors. According to Al-Watan (May 8, 2026), the Aleppo City Council started work on April 21 and assigned its five service directorates to get the chosen sites ready.
On the governorate's roads, the General Establishment for Road Communications carried out rehabilitation and maintenance works under the project, including asphalting and maintenance on a road linking Andan with Hayyan and Hreitan in northern rural Aleppo (SANA, April 28, 2026). Aleppo's director of road transport told SANA on May 10, 2026 that the maintenance under way as part of the "Zero Pothole" campaign, together with emergency projects carried out by the General Establishment for Road Communications, reaches the central and main roads connecting Aleppo with the rest of the governorates, the big cities and the international crossings.
The Governor said, according to Al-Watan on June 22, 2026, that road transport, technical services and the city councils had worked together to achieve the progress.
Coordination and Community Partnership
The Governor noted the need for coordination among the relevant service bodies to deliver results within the set timeframe. He also referred to the role of volunteer teams in supporting service operations and responding to damaged road sections, which helped reduce the load on official authorities. In its news item of July 6, 2026 the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment said Aleppo Governorate had asked residents to nominate roads and sites they believe need maintenance, to be reviewed and added to the list of priorities.
Expected Impact
According to Aleppo Governorate, improving the road network is expected to bring the following:
- Reduction of traffic congestion, especially on high-density roads.
- Decrease in vehicle damage caused by potholes and road deterioration.
- Improvement of general public safety.
- Improvement of service conditions, as part of a wider governorate plan in this area.
Update: April 25, 2026
The Aleppo City Council, in line with the plan set by Aleppo Governorate, began implementing the "Zero Pothole" campaign to repair damaged roads.
First Phase
According to the Council, the campaign addresses potholes in main streets during the first phase, with a gradual expansion to include side streets as part of a maintenance plan.
The preparatory work includes cutting the edges of the excavation and the worn asphalt layer using an asphalt cutter, followed by breaking it up with a compressor-driven breaker, in preparation for removing the debris and compacting the foundation layer ahead of paving according to the approved technical specifications.
Two Implementation Tracks
The Aleppo City Council stated to Enab Baladi that it will implement its plan to address the city's road conditions along two main tracks. The first track includes projects to rehabilitate main streets in various neighborhoods, while the second involves miscellaneous maintenance work on streets damaged by wear or emergency excavations. Regarding the first track, the Council explained that the projects include scraping and resurfacing, as well as the construction of sidewalks and curbs.
Update: May 4, 2026
On Monday, May 4, the first phase of road restoration work began in the Manbij area of the Aleppo countryside as part of the "Zero Pothole" campaign launched by the Governorate, with paving works scheduled for the project's second phase.
According to Al-Ikhbariah, the campaign addresses potholes and cracks to improve traffic flow and public safety. The "Zero Pothole" project was launched during a meeting chaired by Governor Azzam Al-Ghareeb and is set to continue for two months, having started on April 20, covering Aleppo city and ten administrative districts to improve regional infrastructure. The campaign is part of an ongoing plan to upgrade service standards and road quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the "Zero Pothole" project?
It is a service plan launched by Aleppo Governorate to repair road damage and improve infrastructure across the city of Aleppo and its surrounding administrative areas.
When did the project start and how long does it run?
The project was announced on April 19, 2026 and began on April 20, 2026, with an original announced duration of two months (60 days). According to the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment (news item of July 6, 2026), new routes and sites were added to the plan, so the works continued for longer.
Which areas does the project cover?
It covers the city of Aleppo and ten administrative districts, including main arterial roads and secondary streets, as well as the central roads linking Aleppo to other governorates and works in towns and cities of rural Aleppo such as Atareb, Manbij and Al-Bab.
What method is used for the repairs?
Works are carried out using asphalt mix (bituminous concrete), with workshops distributed across multiple sites to enable parallel operations.
Who carries out the project?
It was launched by Aleppo Governorate. Al-Watan and the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment name the Aleppo City Council as the body that carried out the works inside the city, and SANA names the General Establishment for Road Communications for works on the central and main roads. The Governor said, as quoted by Al-Watan on June 22, 2026, that road transport, technical services and the city councils worked together on the project.
What is the status of the project?
According to the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment's news item of July 6, 2026, implementation of the general plan had reached 79% with 6,850 potholes treated, and the Ministry said work was continuing at the remaining sites. Later developments are listed in the dated updates on this page.
Update — 2026-06-09
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on 10 May 2026, the "Zero Pothole" project extended to the Aleppo–Atareb road in the western countryside with patching and treatment of potholes and damaged sections. SANA quoted Aleppo's director of road transport as saying maintenance targets the central and main roads linking Aleppo to other governorates, major cities and border crossings, listing Aleppo–Damascus, Aleppo–Raqqa, Aleppo–Bab al-Hawa, Aleppo–Gaziantep, Aleppo–Jarablus and Aleppo–Manbij.
According to SANA, the campaign is carried out by the Road Transport Directorate in cooperation with the relevant bodies, and the central-roads workshops carried out the patching and pothole treatment on the Aleppo–Atareb road. SANA quoted an engineer working on the works as saying they begin with milling or cutting, then asphalting and compaction. SANA also reported on 9 June 2026 the start of asphalting under the project in the city of Al-Bab in Aleppo's eastern countryside, meaning the works had reached both the western and the eastern countryside. Al-Watan newspaper reported on 8 May 2026 that a meeting chaired by Aleppo governor Azzam Al-Ghareeb reviewed progress, and that a weather depression had hindered asphalting at a number of sites.
Sources
UPDATE 06.08.2026, Project status per reports up to July 2026
Original period ended; works continued. On June 22, 2026 Al-Watan quoted Aleppo Governor Azzam Al-Ghareeb, in a Facebook post, as saying that over the preceding two months 6,850 potholes had been treated, 79% of the targeted plan, with road transport, technical services and the city councils working together. He said weather conditions and some logistical challenges had prevented the full plan from being completed within its set period, but that the project had achieved most of its goals and that work would continue to finish the remainder. The newspaper added that the period announced at launch had ended two days before the article appeared, and that pothole filling and road maintenance would go on until the full plan was achieved.
Ministry of Local Administration and Environment. In its news item of July 6, 2026 the Ministry put implementation of the general plan at 79%, with 6,850 potholes treated, and said that extra routes and sites had been added to the plan as needs on the ground grew.
Distribution of works, per the Ministry's news item (July 6). Inside Aleppo city, the City Council repaired and rehabilitated 31,650 square metres of roads and treated 946 potholes. On the central roads and the links between administrative units, the works covered about 383 km, with 4,330 potholes treated. In the towns and cities of rural Aleppo, more than 58,232 square metres of roads were rehabilitated and maintained and 1,574 potholes treated. The Ministry said at the time that work was continuing at the remaining sites.
Later reports. The website Tahta al-Mijhar reported on July 20, 2026 that the Manbij City Council had started maintenance and asphalting of damaged sections of the city's streets under the project. In its report on the Ministry's activities during July 2026, published on August 6, 2026, the Ministry said Aleppo Governorate had continued implementing the project and put implementation of the general plan at 79%.
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