31.10.2026 10:42
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that the Dallıkavak Tunnel on the Erzurum-Rize road will open to service on Saturday, October 31. With the tunnel, a 9-kilometer section will be opened to transportation, while 8 sharp curves will be bypassed. The current route will be shortened by 4.6 kilometers, and the 20-minute journey will drop to 5 minutes.
Work has been completed on the Dallıkavak Tunnel and connecting roads, which will make transportation between Erzurum and Rize easier. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that the 3,105-meter-long twin-tube tunnel, together with its connecting roads, a total 9-kilometer section, will be opened to service on Saturday, October 31.
Minister Uraloğlu stated that the project will reduce transportation problems experienced especially in winter months due to snow, blizzards, and icing. Work continues on the remaining 21.3-kilometer section of the project.
8 SHARP BENDS WILL BE TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE
Thanks to the Dallıkavak Tunnel, a route at a lower elevation will be used instead of the existing road where the Dallıkavak Pass, at an elevation of 2,349 meters, is located.
Uraloğlu said, "By taking out of service the existing road section, which has a high gradient and 8 sharp hairpin bends, we have carried the route to an elevation 190 meters lower. In this way, we will significantly reduce the transportation difficulties faced by our drivers, especially under harsh winter conditions."
20-MINUTE ROAD TO DROP TO 5 MINUTES
With the new tunnel, the existing route will be shortened by 4.6 kilometers. Thus, the 20-minute journey will decrease to 5 minutes.
Minister Uraloğlu announced that with the project, a total saving of 103.7 million lira will be achieved annually, including 76.7 million lira from time and 27 million lira from fuel. Carbon emissions are also targeted to be reduced by 1,334 tons per year.
ERZURUM-RIZE DISTANCE TO BE SHORTENED BY 52 KILOMETERS
The Dallıkavak Tunnel, together with the Ovit Tunnel opened in 2018 and the Kırık Tunnel, whose construction is ongoing, constitutes one of the important parts of Erzurum-Rize transportation.
Uraloğlu stated that when work along the entire route is completed, the 248-kilometer Erzurum-Rize road will drop to 196 kilometers. Thus, the distance between the two cities will be shortened by a total of 52 kilometers.
With the completion of the project, it is aimed to strengthen the transportation line connecting the Black Sea to Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia.