Equipping a floating bridge in Semalka restores commercial and humanitarian traffic at the crossing and contributes to solving the travelers’ problem

A private source at the Semalka/Peshkhabur border crossing told ASO News Network, on Saturday, that a bridge linking the regions of northeastern Syria and the Iraqi Kurdistan region is ready for crossing, with both its commercial and humanitarian sections.

The return of commercial traffic after Eid al-Fitr holiday began today, Saturday, at Semalka/Peshkhabur crossing, and humanitarian traffic will resume at the crossing tomorrow, Sunday.

The source indicated that the repair process included one of the two collapsed bridges, and this bridge will be the link between the two ends of the crossing, until the repair of the other bridge is completed.

In the middle of last month, the Semalka-Pishkhabur bridge collapsed as a result of torrential rains and floods.

The source indicated that the commercial section at the crossing resumed operation today, adding that work will begin tomorrow in the humanitarian relations section of the crossing, and passengers will be transported between Semalka and Pishkhabur across the bridge.

The bridge collapse led to passengers being transported through Al-Waleed crossing, as the bridge collapse had caused a crisis at the humanitarian and commercial crossings as a result of the long crossing procedures between the two sides.

Also one of the reasons for the long distance is the movement from Peshkhabur (from the Iraqi Kurdistan side) to Al-Walid crossing, which took about 45 minutes, and then the movement from Al-Walid crossing, which is under the Autonomous Administration, from the north and east of Syria, in about 50 minutes, which constituted crowding and waiting that sometimes continued until midnight.