Transportation investments continue without slowing down…
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu made a written statement about the Zigana Tunnel, which was put into service on May 3, 2023.
THE TUNNEL THAT MADE HISTORY
Uraloğlu pointed out that the tunnel connecting Trabzon to Bayburt and Erzurum via Gümüşhane made history as the longest double-tube road tunnel in Europe with a length of 14.5 kilometers.
Uraloğlu said that thanks to the tunnel, the route was shortened by 8 kilometers and the travel time was reduced by an average of 20 minutes, 10 minutes for cars and 60 minutes for heavy tonnage vehicles.
MORE THAN 5 MILLION VEHICLES WERE USED IN THREE YEARS
Uraloğlu emphasized that thanks to the Zigana Tunnel, a total of 1.9 billion lira was saved in time and fuel in three years and said:
“We have reduced carbon emissions by 44 thousand tons since the tunnel was put into service. 5 million 277 thousand 434 vehicles used our Zigana Tunnel, the symbol of the Black Sea, in three years. Our tunnel was deemed worthy of the best project award in the ‘construction methodology’ category within the scope of the International Road Federation 2023 Global Achievement Awards. In addition to the sharp bends and ramps on the existing Trabzon-Gümüşhane Line, problems such as falling stones from steep slopes “With the work carried out, we eliminated 90 bends on the existing route. We ensured the smooth flow of traffic to the campuses, ports, tourism and industrial centers on the Black Sea coast, and contributed to faster and more reliable international trade through domestic road transportation.”
THE 3RD LONGEST TUNNEL IN THE WORLD
The sharp bends and ramps of the Zigana Passage, which was a fear and dream of the drivers, were eliminated with the New Zigana Tunnel.
With the completion of the work on the Zigana Tunnel, the foundation of which was laid on March 17, 2017, the New Zigana Tunnel on the Trabzon-Gümüşhane highway, which is the longest tunnel in Turkey and Europe and the 3rd longest tunnel in the world, was put into service on May 3, 2023.
Millions of liras were saved with the tunnel, which reduced the distance between Trabzon and Gümüşhane by approximately 30 minutes.
THE OLD TUNNEL HAS BECOME SILENT
The 1,702-meter-long Zigana Tunnel, which has been in service for approximately 36 years at the Zigana Mountain pass, one of the most important passages connecting Eastern Anatolia to the Eastern Black Sea, has become silent with the New Zigana Tunnel, which is described as the project of the century.
Vertical shaft structures built in highway tunnels for the first time in Türkiye were applied in the New Zigana Tunnel.
The project included a total of 6 ventilation shaft structures, 1 for clean air and 1 for dirty air, at each of the 3 stations.
