The Dallıkavak Tunnel on the road between Erzurum in eastern Anatolia and Rize on the Black Sea coast opens to traffic on Saturday, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said in a written statement reported by Anadolu Agency (AA), DHA and Takvim.
The twin-tube tunnel is 3,105 metres long. Together with its connecting roads, a 9-kilometre section of the new route enters service today, Uraloğlu said. According to the reports, 5.9 kilometres of the connecting roads have been completed and work continues on a further 21.3-kilometre section of the project.
Eight hairpin bends taken out of service
The existing road climbs over the Dallıkavak Pass at an altitude of 2,349 metres, on a steep stretch with eight sharp bends. The new route runs 190 metres lower, is 4.6 kilometres shorter and cuts the journey on this section from about 20 minutes to about five, the ministry figures show.
The ministry estimates annual savings of 103.7 million lira, of which 76.7 million lira is time and 27 million lira is fuel, and a reduction of 1,334 tonnes a year in carbon emissions. Uraloğlu said the project would ease the problems drivers face in harsh winter conditions and offer "safer, more comfortable and uninterrupted" transport.
Erzurum–Rize route to shrink by 52 km
Once all the work is finished, the Erzurum–Rize road is expected to shrink from 248 kilometres to 196 kilometres, 52 kilometres shorter, according to the ministry.
Uraloğlu said the wider aim is an uninterrupted divided highway running from the Rize coast to Erzurum, Bingöl and Diyarbakır.
Sources
- Erzurum-Rize yolundaki Dallıkavak Tüneli bugün hizmete açılacak (Anadolu Ajansı)
- Uraloğlu, Dallıkavak Tüneli ile 9 kilometrelik kesimin 31 Ekim’de açılacağını duyurdu (Haberler.com / DHA)
- Dallıkavak Tüneli hizmete giriyor! 20 dakikalık yol 5 dakikaya düşecek (Takvim)
- 20 dakikalık yol 5 dakikaya düşüyor: Tünel hizmete açıldı (Karar)
Photo: Rkorkmaz53 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
