The Gali Zakho
Tunnel in Northern Iraq, which was completed by Limak Construction, was opened
with a ceremony. 3,600 meters long tunnel is at a distance of 20
kilometers to the Turkish Habur Border Gate and on the route connecting Duhok
to Zakho ,cost $ 141 million.
The construction
of the double-lane, double-way highway tunnel with a total length of 7,200
meters, started on April 15th, 2013. The provisional
acceptance of the Gali Zakho
Tunnel, which was interrupted for a while opened to vehicle traffic last May.
Mr. Nihat
Özdemir, Chairman of the Board of Limak Holding, said: “When we won this
tender, we had a commitment to complete the tunnel in 30 months. And we aim to
complete it in 24 months. Unfortunately, we had to suspend works for a while after
completing most of the part . But today, we are very happy to have this construction
completed.”
Mr. Özdemir said;
“We are a company that prides itself on completing all the works we have done
before deadline and at the desired quality. If there was another company here,
it could have left the construction incomplete. We are not only viewed from the
aspect of earning money, but also for prestige purposes.”
Along with the
tunnel, transport and trade between Iraq and Turkey will be much faster,
indicated by Mr. Ozdemir, and he said, "The opening of this tunnel will
also provide a huge benefit for Turkey that transportation to Northern Iraq and
Baghdad will be much more comfortable. Compared to the old road, a 20-25 minute
time advantage will be provided and traffic accidents will be greatly reduced.”
Mr. Özdemir mentioned that employment opportunity provided to approximately 400 people, 300 from
Turkey and 100 from Iraq, during the construction. He said, “In the coming period, we expect the trade
relations between two countries to be re-established and to be further
developed.”