Discontinued Ovit Tunnel Construction Will Start Again

Discontinued Ovit Tunnel Construction Will Be Restarted: Construction works will start again on the Ovit Tunnel, which was built on the Rize-Erzurum highway but was stopped within the scope of occupational safety measures.
Turkey's and the world's longest, one of the highway tunnel project Ovit Tunnel Project in Karaman Ermenek after the mining disaster occurred in the district of examinations had been found to be missing some procedures related to job security. In their examination, occupational safety inspectors determined that there was no emergency warning system inside and outside the tunnel, the toxic gas level exceeded the reasonable level in the measurements made inside the tunnels, ventilation was not sufficient in the tunnels and there was no suction system. While the tunnel construction was stopped on October 31, 2014 after the delegation's reviews, the company that carried out the construction completed its work to compensate for the deficiencies and asked the occupational safety experts for the construction of the tunnel. Experts appointed by the relevant ministry completed the examinations on the Ispir and Ikizdere sides of the tunnel today, and the desired closed-circuit toxic gas measurement device was brought from abroad and placed in the tunnel. While preparing a comprehensive report after the examinations, it will be decided when the tunnel construction will begin in line with the report. After the slightest shortcomings are left and the shortcomings related to lighting are eliminated, the construction works will start again in a short time.
Drilling completed over 50 percent and built as a double-tube tunnel, the world's longest 4. When finished with length, while Turkey will carry the distinction of being the # 1 tunnel. The Ovit Tunnel will consist of two 12.6 km long main tunnels. With the 1.4-meter-long tube opening and closing tunnels, the total length of the double tube will be 28 kilometers. The total length of the tunnel will be 14 kilometers. There will be a 2-meter-long ventilation shaft in the tunnel opening to a peak of 600 altitude.
Following the completion of the Ovit Tunnel, the route will increase its strategic and commercial importance with the completion of the 7 thousand 200-long Scratch Tunnel and the 3-meter-long Kavak Tunnel on the Rize-Mardin highway route, which is continuing between İspir and Erzurum.
With the completion of the tunnels, Rize-Mardin Highway will decrease by 50 kilometers to 200 kilometers. Ovit Tunnel construction started on May 13, 2012 with the groundbreaking ceremony attended by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. -