The Korkuteli-Elmalı Road, connecting the Korkuteli and Elmalı districts of Antalya to Burdur, Isparta and the inner parts, was put into service with a ceremony attended by Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and General Director of Highways Ahmet Gülşen.
Stating that they have made an investment of 23 billion 214 million liras for Antalya’s transportation and communication infrastructure in the 181-year period, Minister Uraloğlu said, “We increased the length of divided roads, which was 2002 kilometers in 197, to 743 kilometers. We also increased the length of bituminous hot mixture coated roads, which was 123 kilometers, to exactly 68 kilometers.”
“We Continue Our Work on 26 Separate Highway Projects”
Providing information about the highway projects implemented in Antalya in the past, Uraloğlu said the following: “We opened the Antalya Western Beltway, and constructed the Başköy, Korkuteli, Kirişçiler and Isparta Intersections on the Antalya Northern Beltway. We completed the Mediterranean Western Coastal Road as a divided highway. We opened the Phaselis Tunnel within the scope of the Antalya-Kemer-Tekirova-Finike Road. We opened the Demirkapı Tunnel connecting Antalya to Konya and offered it to the service of our citizens. We constructed the Antalya-Kuşyuvası-Taşkent Tunnels. We also completed and opened the Kızılkaya-Antalya Road, Antalya-Alanya-Gazipaşa Road, Kumluca Finike Road, Demre City Crossing, Kaş Beltway, Kalkan City Crossing, Akseki Connection Road, Kızılcadağ-Elmalı Road, Konaklı-Güzelbağ Road and Antalya City Hospital Connection Roads. We continue our work on 26 separate highway projects.”
“Antalya-Alanya Highway Will Bring New Employment Opportunities”
Uraloğlu, who stated that they signed the contract that started the construction of the Antalya-Alanya Highway last October and that they will lay the foundation soon, said, “We designed our highway as 84 kilometers long, 38 kilometers of which is the main trunk and 122 kilometers of which is the connection road. Our Antalya-Alanya highway will meet the increasing travel demands due to tourism, especially in the summer months, in a fast, comfortable and safe way, and will also serve the trade and agriculture sectors in the region. Since the traffic density spread throughout the year will be significantly reduced thanks to the highway, this will provide tourists and our citizens with a more comfortable and stress-free travel opportunity. Reaching more points in a shorter time will also allow tourists to spend more time in the region and discover different destinations. It will contribute to the economy of the region by increasing tourism diversity. It will also lead to the opening of new tourism facilities and bring new employment opportunities.”
A Faster, More Comfortable Trade and Transportation Corridor
Uraloğlu, drawing attention to the fact that Elmalı and Korkuteli are important centers in terms of fruit growing and greenhouse farming, stated that they are proud to have completed the road connecting the two districts to the bituminous hot mixture coated divided road standard and put it into service.
Explaining that they built a 45,7-kilometer-long 2-way and 2-way 4-lane divided road standard, 2 different-level junctions and 15 at-grade junctions with bridges within the scope of the project, Uraloğlu said, “With the opening of the road, we have established a faster, more comfortable trade and transportation corridor between Central Anatolia and the Western Mediterranean, one of Turkey’s most important fruit and vegetable production centers.”
Uraloğlu said that travel time on the route has decreased from 46 minutes to 25 minutes, and emphasized that they will save a total of 387 million liras per year, including 107 million liras in time and 494 million liras in fuel.
Access to Holiday Centers Will Become Easier
Speaking at the ceremony, General Manager Ahmet Gülşen underlined that they brought a new breath to the economic, social and commercial life of the region with the Korkuteli-Elmalı Road.
Gülşen stated that the connections on the route were modernized and the surrounding settlements were safely integrated into the divided road, and that both ease of transportation and traffic safety were increased to the highest level.
Our General Manager stated that with the opening of the route, the products of the Western Mediterranean, one of the most important centers of our country in the field of agriculture, will be transported to the inland areas quickly and comfortably, and added that access to holiday resorts on the coast will become easier.
