Turkey infrastructure: Dallıkavak Tunnel and Ünye-Akkuş-Niksar road updates

Turkey's Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has announced significant progress on several major road projects. The Dallıkavak Tunnel, a 3,105-meter double-tube tunnel on the Erzurum-Rize highway, is scheduled to open on October 16. This project includes a 9-kilometer section that will reduce travel time from 20 minutes to 5 minutes and shorten the route by 4.6 kilometers. By bypassing high-altitude passes and eight sharp curves, the tunnel aims to provide safer, uninterrupted transit during harsh winter conditions, such as heavy snow and icing. The project is expected to save approximately 103.7 million TL annually in time and fuel, while reducing carbon emissions by 1,334 tons per year.

Separately, repair and reconstruction efforts are underway on the Ünye-Akkuş-Niksar road following a major landslide in February 2026. This 1 billion TL project involves ground reinforcement and engineering works, including the application of approximately one thousand fore piles. Officials aim to reopen this vital link between the Black Sea, Central Anatolia, and the Mediterranean regions by the end of December.