Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.28
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Eurasia tunnel will be put into operation in Turkey in 2016, the country's Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Lutfi Elvan said.
He said the construction of the underwater tunnel crossing the Bosphorus strait will enter a new phase soon, TRT Haber TV channel reported on Oct.28.
The minister said the construction of the tunnel which will connect the European and Asian parts of the Istanbul city, is conducted at a depth of 95 meters.
Elvan added that the construction of 1.27 of the planned 5.4 kilometers of the tunnel has been completed. "Over 40 percent of the work on the tunnel has been completed."
Eurasia tunnel will link the Kazlicesme and Goztepe districts of Istanbul and reduce the travel time between them from 100 minutes to 15 minutes.
The project cost will exceed $2 billion.
Turkey's General Directorate of Highways said that 187 tunnels have been constructed in the country and the length of 113 of them exceeds 500 meters.
The length of 28 tunnels reaches one kilometer, 14 tunnels - over two kilometers and three tunnels - three kilometers. The length of the largest tunnel in Turkey exceeds three kilometers. The length of the rest of the tunnels is up to 500 meters.
