Azernews.Az

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijan continues the construction of the 11.6-km tunnel on the Toghanali-Kalbajar highway in Murovdagh, the State Agency of Azerbaijan Automobile Roads reported on October 6.

The Murovdagh mountain range, which differs between 1,700-3,250 meters in altitude, starts from the 13.5-km-section of the 80.7-km Toghanali-Kalbajar-Istisu highway that connects Goygol and Kalbajar regions.

Instead of building a 31.5-km road in a difficult terrain, which becomes impassable in wintertime, the construction of an 11.6-km tunnel under the Murovdagh range was considered more convenient, the agency said.

The tunnel will have two lanes in one direction and a 12-m width.

The upper half of the Murovdagh tunnel was drilled for 25 meters in the left direction and for 115 meters in the right direction. Currently, the blasting and firing methods are being applied to remove the rocky parts of the tunnel, the report added.

Depending on the terrain the highway is being built in line with the first and second technical categories and will have two or four lanes.

The main part of the road will be built in line with the second technical category and include two lanes, while four lanes in line with the first technical level will be constructed in sections with tunnels and bridges.

The Turkish Colin and Cengiz road construction companies cooperate with a local company to ensure the soonest completion of the project.

Currently, the design and search, geological, and mobilization works are underway in certain parts of the road. The work carried out in line with the requirements of the construction norms and rules is under the control of the agency's management.

Some 103 circular pipes with a total length of 2,575 meters, as well as five new road bridges with a total length of 450 meters will be built along the newly built road to ensure the transfer of water under the project.

The Toghanali-Kalbajar-Istisu highway passes through liberated Kalbajar region, starting from the village of Toghanali in Goygol region. The highway will provide easy access to the region center and the famous Istisu area along with many settlements of the region.

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