An important stage has been reached in the huge highway project that will connect Antalya, one of the tourism capitals of Türkiye, to Alanya, which hosts millions of tourists every year, without interruption and quickly. Following the signing of the construction contract for the project on October 14, 2024, the construction work of the eagerly awaited Antalya-Alanya Highway has started in Manavgat, an important tourism center in the east of Antalya. In addition to providing a radical solution to the transportation problems that the local people and visitors have been experiencing for many years, this project will also open the doors to a brand new era for the region's tourism, agriculture and trade.
No More Summers of Suffering in Alanya Transportation: The Highway is a Hope
Transportation to Alanya was turning into an ordeal, especially during the summer months, due to the intensity. Sometimes, going from Antalya to Alanya could take longer than reaching the surrounding districts from Antalya city center, which negatively affected the daily lives of local people and created serious time loss and transportation stress for tourists visiting the region. Inadequate road infrastructure, frequent traffic congestion and countless traffic lights turned the Antalya-Alanya route into a test of patience. At this point, the Antalya-Alanya Highway project, which was implemented, stands out as a long-awaited breathing opportunity and a great source of hope for the future, beyond being just a transportation project for the region.
President Erdoğan Emphasizes Huge Investment: Contribution to Tourism, Agriculture and Trade
Making detailed statements about the project at a meeting held in Antalya, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan particularly emphasized that the Antalya-Alanya Highway is a huge investment that will support Türkiye’s tourism, agriculture and trade potential. Drawing attention to the strategic importance of the project for the region, President Erdoğan said, “Our 122-kilometer-long highway that we have planned will directly serve the trade and agriculture sectors as well as tourism. The travel time on the current road, which takes approximately 4.5 hours during busy times, will be reduced to approximately 1 hour thanks to this highway,” and underlined the time savings and ease of transportation that the project will provide to the region. This statement gave the good news that the project will not only solve the transportation problem but also make significant contributions to the economic and social development of the region.
The Technical Details of the Project Are Dazzling: Tunnels, Viaducts and Intersections
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu also shared detailed information about the technical features of the project. Minister Uraloğlu, revealing the scope and size of the project, said, “The project will include 7 modern junctions (Serik, Taşağıl, Manavgat, Manavgat East, Alarahan, Konaklı, Alanya West), 11 double-tube tunnels with a total length of 300 meters, 8 giant viaducts with a total length of more than 7 meters, and 30 modern highway service facilities that will meet the needs of passengers.” These technical details clearly reveal how comprehensive and challenging the project is in terms of engineering. Minister Uraloğlu also added that a significant annual saving of approximately 19 billion TL will be achieved with the completion of the project, and that this saving will be obtained from both the loss of time for passengers and fuel costs. This economic forecast shows that the project will not only provide ease of transportation, but will also make a serious contribution to the country’s economy.
Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu Announced the Good News: Construction Sites Are Being Established
AK Party Antalya Deputy and then Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had also made important statements regarding the project and announced that the tenders had been completed and that the construction sites had begun to be established from both ends, namely Antalya and Alanya. Çavuşoğlu emphasized the determination in the process of implementing the project and said, “Construction will actually begin in the coming weeks. Work will begin in March at the latest in a fully-fledged manner and with full capacity. We are all closely following this process.” This statement heralded that the highway project, which the local people and the tourism sector had been waiting for for a long time, was now progressing with concrete steps and would be completed and put into service in the near future.
The Current Traffic Structure Should Be Addressed: Parallel Studies to D-400
In addition to the highway project, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also drew attention to traffic problems on the D-400 highway, the main artery between Antalya and Alanya. Çavuşoğlu announced that the Boğazkent Junction overpass project on the D-400 would begin in November. He also stated that intersection arrangements and road widening work would be carried out simultaneously to ease traffic flow on the D-400. Çavuşoğlu emphasized the importance of these works and said, “In this way, we will both relieve the heavy traffic on D-400 and our fellow citizens living in this region will use that intersection more safely. On this occasion, while the highway construction continues on the one hand, on the other hand, widening works on the road, arrangements for intersections, arrangements for exits to the right and left at intersections will be made to relieve the traffic on D-400 highway. In my opinion, some traffic light intersections should also be closed. There are two, sometimes three traffic light intersections while passing through the neighborhood. These were built for that reason and that reason at the time. In my opinion, it was a mistake, but we could not disappoint the muhtars, we could not disappoint our neighborhood residents. There is no other road with traffic light intersections this frequent. In other words, there are 70-odd traffic light intersections from Antalya to Alanya. Tourists come, people from all over Türkiye come. You, us, use them. We carry agricultural products, etc. We will also relieve this road,” he said, emphasizing the necessity of overhauling the current traffic structure. These statements show that the aim is to produce a comprehensive solution to the transportation problem in the region, not only with the highway project, but also by improving the existing road network.
The construction work of the Antalya-Alanya Highway project, which started in Manavgat, is considered a historical turning point for the region. With the completion of this huge investment, it is expected that the transportation time between Antalya and Alanya will be significantly shortened, regional tourism will be revived, agriculture and trade will be facilitated and traffic accidents will decrease. At the same time, with the improvement works to be carried out on the D-400 highway, it is aimed to end the transportation difficulties that the local people and visitors have been experiencing for many years and to provide a more comfortable, safe and fast transportation opportunity. This project will make significant contributions to the economic and social development of the region as a strategic investment in the future of Antalya and Alanya.
