Mount Bolu Tunnel
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mount Bolu |
| Coordinates | 40°44′45″N 31°27′19″E / 40.74596°N 31.45523°E  Mt. Bolu Tunnel Mt. Bolu Tunnel (Turkey) |
| Route |   O-4 / E80 |
| Start | Kaynaşlı, Düzce |
| End | Yumrukaya, Bolu |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | 1993 |
| Opened | 2007 |
| Operator | General Directorate of Highways |
| Traffic | automotive |
| Technical | |
| Length | 3,014 m (9,888 ft) (east bound) 3,125 m (10,253 ft) (west bound) |
| No. of lanes | 2 x 3 |
| Operating speed | 70 km/h (43 mph) |
| Highest elevation | 860 m (2,820 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 810 m (2,660 ft) |
| Width | 2 x 17 m (56 ft) |
| Grade | 1,7% |
Mount Bolu Tunnel (Turkish: Bolu Dağı Tüneli) is a 3.1-kilometre-long (1.9 mi) highway tunnel constructed through the Bolu Mountain in Turkey between Kaynaşlı, Düzce and Yumrukaya, Bolu.[1]
Construction
The tunnel is part of the Gümüşova-Gerede Highway O-4 / E80 within the Trans-European Motorway project, which was carried out by the Turkish Bayındır and Italian Astaldi joint venture since April 16, 1993.[2] The total cost of the tunnel is about US$300 million. It has twin 17-metre-wide (56 ft) bores carrying three lanes of traffic in each direction.
The tunnel crosses the North Anatolian Fault. 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.[2]
On September 4, 2005 the excavation of the tunnel in the Istanbul-Ankara 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 (3,014 m (9,888 ft)) was opened to traffic on January 23, 2007 by the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.[2] Four months following the initial opening, on May 7, the Ankara-Istanbul direction (3,125 m (10,253 ft)) became operational.[3][4]
Speed in the tunnel is limited to 70 km/h (43 mph).[5] Dangerous goods carriers are not permitted to use the tunnel.[6]
See also
References
- ^ "Bolu Dağı Tüneli yarın açılıyor". Sabah (in Turkish). 2007-01-22. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ a b c "Bolu Tüneli 14 yıl sonra açıldı". NTV MSNBC (in Turkish). 2007-01-24. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ "Bolu Tüneli'nde ikinci tüp hizmete açıldı". NTV MSNBC (in Turkish). 2009-05-09. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ "Tünneler". Karayolları Genel Müdürlüğü. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
- ^ Toydemir, Ali (2009-02-10). "Bolu Tüneli'nde ölüm oyunu". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ "Tehlikeli Maddelerin Taşınmasına İzin Verilmeyen Otoyol Tünelleri" (PDF) (in Turkish). Karayolları Genel Müdürlüğü. Retrieved 2016-08-14.
External links
Media related to Mount Bolu Tunnel at Wikimedia Commons
- Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Server – Bolu Viaducts and Tunnel
- Ankara, Turkish Daily News – Mont Blanc sets example for Mt. Bolu Tunnel
