Mount Bolu Tunnel

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]

Mount Bolu Tunnel

Overview
Location	Mount Bolu
Coordinates	40.74596°N 31.45523°E / 40.74596; 31.45523 Mt. Bolu Tunnel Mt. Bolu Tunnel (Turkey)
Route	O-4 / E80
Start	Kaynaşlı, Düzce
End	Yumrukaya, Bolu
Operation
Work begun	1993
Opened	2007 (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%

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

• List of motorway tunnels in Turkey

References

1. "Bolu Dağı Tüneli yarın açılıyor". Sabah (in Turkish). 2007-01-22. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
2. "Bolu Tüneli 14 yıl sonra açıldı". NTV MSNBC (in Turkish). 2007-01-24. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
3. "Bolu Tüneli'nde ikinci tüp hizmete açıldı". NTV MSNBC (in Turkish). 2009-05-09. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
4. "Tünneler". Karayolları Genel Müdürlüğü. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
5. Toydemir, Ali (2009-02-10). "Bolu Tüneli'nde ölüm oyunu". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2011-02-13.
6. "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