Turkey launches Çamlıbel Tunnel project to cut Sivas‑Tokat travel time

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu led the foundation ceremony for the Çamlıbel Tunnel, a double‑tube tunnel 4,735 m long that will form part of a 7.7 km north‑south corridor linking the Black Sea region with the Mediterranean. The tunnel will lower the road grade by 286 m, bypass 13 sharp curves and shorten the route by 2.3 km, cutting vehicle travel time between Sivas and Tokat by roughly five minutes. The government projects the works will generate annual savings of about 371 million TL – 313 million TL from reduced travel time and 58 million TL from lower fuel consumption – and cut CO₂ emissions by roughly 2,794 tonnes. The project is part of a broader 24‑year, 351 billion TL investment programme that has expanded Turkey’s road network, increasing total tunnel length 17‑fold to 868 km and connecting 77 provinces with high‑standard highways.