BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 23. The construction of the Kalaleh-Jolfa highway, which connects the main part of Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan via Iran, is expected to be commissioned in August next year with a maximum delay of two months, Deputy Executive Director of the Iranian Transport Infrastructure Construction and Development Company Alireza Siyahpour told local media, Trend reports.
Siyahpour said that the 107-km-long highway will have 17 tunnels with a total length of 7.5 km and is planned to be commissioned within three years.
In addition to the special instruction of the Iranian President and the Supreme National Security Council keeping the issue in mind, the process of securing funds for construction has been accelerated since the beginning of this year (March 21, 2025).
The official noted that in this regard, an agreement worth 40 trillion rials (approximately $68.8 million) was signed between the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development and the Khatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarters.
The construction of this road began simultaneously with the construction of a bridge over the Araz river and the construction of a joint border terminal, and the road construction process continues with the cooperation of the Azerbaijani side.
Siyahpour said that work is currently underway on the construction of the road with approximately 300 road construction vehicles.
He added that the border terminal has been designed in two stages.
The process of preparing the area is currently underway.
After the area is prepared, the construction of the terminal buildings will begin.
"The Aghband-Kalaleh route creates favorable conditions for increasing transit and cargo transportation between Iran and Azerbaijan. The current highways between the two countries are longer than the new route. The Aghband-Kalaleh route is one of the main corridors within the Eurasian Economic Union, and at the same time has the potential to connect the eastern part of the Caspian Sea to Europe. This route connects the eastern part of the Caspian Sea to Baku, then to the Kalaleh border, and from there to Jolfa. This route creates access from Jolfa to Nakhchivan, the Turkish border of Bazergan and Razi, and to Europe," he noted.
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