There are 210 meters left until the light in the Onat Tunnel, which will connect Buca and Bornova and breathe new life into the city's traffic. While 90 percent of the excavation work is complete, the giant project, which the Metropolitan Municipality is continuing with its own resources, will be put into service in 2026, along with the connecting roads.
The works in the Onat Tunnel, which is being built by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality with its own resources, continue uninterruptedly. In the historical investment that will connect Buca and Bornova and breathe new life into the city's traffic, 90 percent of the tunnel excavations have been completed in the works carried out simultaneously inside and outside the tunnel. The tunnel, which is under the scope of the works that continue 7/24, is planned to be completed in mid-2025 and the project is planned to be put into service in 2026.
210 meters left to the light in the tunnel
Stating that the work is continuing intensively, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Technical Affairs Department Road Superstructure Branch Directorate Construction Manager Caner Ateş conveyed that the project consists of a 2-meter double-tube tunnel and 500 meters of divided road and engineering structures on the road. Noting that they have completed approximately 500 percent of the excavation and fortification works in the project, Ateş said, “We have 90 meters of excavation left in the right tube and 330 meters in the left tube. We are working meticulously day and night to complete this tunnel. One of the most important features of the project is that it is a new route that will breathe new life into urban traffic. Our Mayor Cemil Tugay is also closely interested in the project and supports it. We aim to open this tunnel in the second quarter of 210.”
It will give a breath of fresh air to urban traffic
When the project is completed, the travel time between Buca and Bornova will be reduced from 45 minutes to 10 minutes. Thanks to the 2,5-kilometer alternative road, 8,3 km of which consists of a deep double tunnel, you can travel from districts such as Konak, Balçova, Çeşme, Urla to Bornova without having to enter the city traffic. Karşıyaka It will be possible to connect to the districts in the north of Izmir as well as the Istanbul and Ankara road. Thanks to the artery that will be formed in the city center, the Bornova traffic on Yeşildere Street and Ankara Street and the Halkapınar traffic on Şehitler Street and Kamil Tunca towards the bus station will be greatly relieved. Izmir residents will be able to reach the bus station and Bornova in a short time by connecting to the Buca Onat Tunnel via the Konak Tunnel and Homeros Boulevard.
The longest highway tunnel within the borders of Izmir
The height of the tunnel will be 7,5 meters and its width will be 10,6 meters. The 8,3-kilometer Buca Onat Tunnel, one of the most important stages of the 2,5-kilometer transit road that starts from the Konak Tunnel and ends at the bus station viaducts, is located between Buca Ufuk Neighborhood and Bornova Çamkule. The project, which will connect Buca and Bornova without interruption, includes the longest highway tunnel built with municipal resources not only in Izmir but also in Turkey. The investment cost of the project at current prices is 3 billion TL.
