18 highways to connect north, south

RİZE - Anatolia News Agency

A crossing from the 542 kilometer Black Sea highway is seen in his file photo.

Studies for 18 new highways to connect Turkey’s Black Sea coast with the Mediterranean coast have been completed, Turkey’s Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım has announced. The highways, totaling 11,797 kilometers, will facilitate transportation between the provinces and will also stimulate trade and tourism between the regions.

Yıldırım said 10,679 kilometers of the highways would be double lane and 1,118 would be single lane in an interview with Anatolia news agency. Construction has been completed on 7,951 kilometers of the double lane highways and still continues for 1,612 kilometers of the double lane highways, according to Yıldırım. Construction of 560 kilometers of the single lane highways has already been completed, 225 kilometers are still under construction and 303 kilometers are waiting to be tendered.