Ayder Plateau road project opens new tunnel and bridge section

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that a 2-kilometer section of the Pazar-Ardeşen Junction-Çamlıhemşin-Ayder Provincial Road will open to traffic this Monday. This section includes the 955-meter Çamlıhemşin Tunnel, as well as the Fırtına Dere and Hala Dere-1 bridges.

The broader 36.5-kilometer project aims to improve access to Ayder Plateau, which hosts over one million visitors annually. Once the entire project is completed, travel time to Ayder is expected to decrease from 55 minutes to 35 minutes.

Economic benefits are projected to include an annual saving of 772 million lira in time and fuel, alongside a reduction of 4,800 tons in annual carbon emissions. The project features three tunnels totaling 3,670 meters and five bridges. Currently, 10 kilometers of the total project have been completed.