Mount Kop Tunnel
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kop Pass, Maden, Bayburt-Aşkale, Erzurum, Turkey |
| Coordinates | 40°02′15″N 40°29′19″E / 40.03750°N 40.48861°ECoordinates: 40°02′15″N 40°29′19″E / 40.03750°N 40.48861°E |
| Status | Under construction |
| Route |
  |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | August 23, 2012 |
| Opened | End 2015 |
| Owner | General Directorate of Highways |
| Traffic | automotive |
| Character | Twin-tube tunnel |
| Technical | |
| Length | 6,500 m (21,300 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 2,050 m (6,730 ft) |
Mount Kop Tunnel (Turkish: Kop Dağı Tüneli) is a road tunnel under construction located on the province border of Bayburt and Erzurum as part of the route between Maden, Bayburt in the northwest and Aşkale, Erzurum in the southeast in Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey.
Situated on the Mount Kop of Pontic Mountains, it is a 6,500 m (21,300 ft)-long twin-tube tunnel.[1] The cost of the construction is estimated to be 
319 million.[2][3]
It was built to bypass the Kop Pass at 2,409 m (7,904 ft) elevation with hairpin turns.[4] The tunnel will also eliminate the four-month-long traffic inaccessibility during the winter months due to harsh climatic conditions by heavy snow fall, icing and fog.[1][2] It will shorten the route about 6 km (3.7 mi) and reduce the travel time to one hour.[3] The tunnel is situated at 2,050 m (6,730 ft) elevation.[3][5]
The groundbreaking ceremony was held in presence of Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication Binali Yıldırım on August 23, 2012.[4] Excavation works progress about 20 m (66 ft) daily in each tunnel tube.[5] Opening of the tunnel is scheduled end of 2015.[3]Currently, 150 personnel are at work.[5]
References
- 1 2 Tekin, Salih (2011-12-22). "Kop Dağı 3 bin 800 metrelik tünelle aşılacak". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2014-04-19.
- 1 2 Özonur, Nursima & Kerim Burucu (2012-12-21). "Kop Dağı tüneli 100 metre ilerledi". Radikal (in Turkish). Retrieved 2014-04-19.
- 1 2 3 4 Özkal, Hasan (2012-12-20). ""Kop Dağı Tüneli"nde Kazı Çalışmaları". Son dakika (in Turkish). Retrieved 2014-04-19.
- 1 2 "Kop Dağı Tüneli'nin temeli törenle atıldı". Zaman (in Turkish). 2012-08-23. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
- 1 2 3 Bozkurt, Orhan & Levent Akpınar (2012-12-21). "Kop Tüneli'nde 24 saat mesai". Erzurum Ajans (in Turkish). Retrieved 2014-04-19.
