Mount Bolu Tunnel () is a highway

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

constructed through the

Bolu Bolu is a city in northern Turkey, and administrative center of the Bolu Province and of Bolu District,Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

between Kaynaşlı, Düzce and Yumrukaya, Bolu.

Construction

The tunnel is part of the

Gümüşova Gümüşova is a town in Düzce Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Euro ...

Gerede Gerede is a town in Bolu Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is located on the highway from Istanbul to Ankara (approximately from Ankara, where the road to the Black Sea coast branches off). It is the seat of Gerede District.

Highway O-4 / E80 within the Trans-European Motorway project, which was carried out by the Turkish Bayındır and Italian

Astaldi Astaldi S.p.A. is an Italian multinational major construction company based in Rome. The group is active in the fields of civil engineering, hydraulic engineering, electromechanical engineering and transportation. Significant subsidiaries incl ...

joint venture since April 16, 1993. The total cost of the tunnel is about US$300 million. It has twin bores carrying three lanes of traffic in each direction. The tunnel crosses the

North Anatolian Fault The North Anatolian Fault (NAF; ) is an active right-lateral strike-slip fault in northern Anatolia, and is the transform boundary between the Eurasian plate and the Anatolian sub-plate. The fault extends westward from a junction with the Ea ...

. The November 12, 1999 Düzce earthquake (MW=7.2) caused substantial damage to the tunnel and viaducts, which were under construction at the time of the earthquake. On September 4, 2005 the excavation of the tunnel in the

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

direction was finished. The excavation for the tunnel in the Ankara-Istanbul direction was completed by the beginning of August 2005.

Opening to traffic

The Istanbul-Ankara direction () was opened to traffic on January 23, 2007 by the Turkish Prime Minister

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Prime Minister

Romano Prodi Romano Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician who served as President of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004 and twice as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1996 to 1998, and again from 2006 to 2008. Prodi is considered the fo ...

. Four months following the initial opening, on May 7, the Ankara-Istanbul direction () became operational. Speed in the tunnel is limited to . Dangerous goods carriers are not permitted to use the tunnel.

References

External links

* Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Server �
''Bolu Viaducts and Tunnel''
* Ankara, Turkish Daily News �
''Mont Blanc sets example for Mt. Bolu Tunnel''
{{Tunnels in Turkey Road tunnels in Turkey Buildings and structures in Düzce Province Transport in Bolu Province Tunnels completed in 2007

Construction

Opening to traffic

See also

References

External links