The Massive Zigana Tunnel Project in the Black Sea Region

Turkish Prime Minister’s assistant Fikri Ishik said that the work on the massive Zigana tunnel is under way and that 8 km of the tunnel which is one of the largest projects in the field of road transport in Turkey, has been completed.

Mr. Fikri Ishik stated that the work in this massive tunnel began in the 1970s, that the weakness of the will that existed in this period and the period that followed in the 18 or 19 years was almost unable to complete the project and was completed within a distance of 700 meters only within 19 years.

Ishik also said that the tunnel would make it very easy to reach the city of Trabzon, where the city could be reached in just an hour and a half. This tunnel also will link the city of Trabzon with both the cities of Gumushneh, Bayport and Erzurum, and even with Iran as well.

He added that the corner stone of the new project for the massive tunnel was laid by the Turkish Prime Minister Ben Ali Yildirim on 17 March last. He said that 2 km by the city of Trabzon has been completed, and the total of the section ended to 8 km, The tunnel, which is 29 kilometers long, will be completed and will begin to be fully operational on October 29, 2019.

Mr. Ishik mentioned the significant developments in Turkey during the AKP rule. He referred to the project of the Polo Tunnel, where the project plan for this tunnel was developed in 1992.

There was an earthquake during the work in the tunnel in 1999 so the work was stopped in this project, and said that the political will had abandoned the project in that period. Even one of the ministers in the government at that time had said that the state's potential was not enough to end such a project, and even offered the government to turn the tunnel into a warehouse for storing potatoes.

Ishik concluded that this indicates a change in the vision of previous governments and the current government in this context. As the current government managed within just 4 years to end the tunnel of 29 kilometers. This is due to the strong will of the government to provide the highest standards of living for the people.