Erkenek Tunnel

Erkenek Tunnel (Turkish: Erkenek Tüneli), is a road tunnel in Malatya province, eastern Turkey opened in 2017 connecting Eastern Anatolia region with the Mediterranean Region.

Erkenek Tunnel
Erkenek Tüneli

Overview
Location	Erkenek, Doğanşehir, Malatya Province, Turkey
Coordinates	37.92589°N 37.87282°E / 37.92589; 37.87282 Erkenek Tunnel Location of Erkenek Tunnel in Turkey.
Route	D.850
Operation
Work begun	2011
Opened	28 May 2017 (2017-05-28)
Operator	General Directorate of Highways
Traffic	automotive
Technical
Length	1,816 m (5,958 ft)

Erkenek Tunnel is situated on the highway D.850 between Doğanşehir in Malatya Province and Gölbaşı in Adıyaman Province, west of Erkenek village. It connects Eastern Anatolia with the Mediterranean Region bypassing the Erkenek Pass, which made the heavy truck traffic difficult during the winter season. It is a twin-tube tunnel with a length of 1,816 m (5,958 ft).[1]

Construction of the tunnel began in 2011.As insufficient soil survey and boring works caused mass wasting and subsidence, it lasted six years due to additional ground reinforcement works. The cost of construction is ₺ 253 million (approx. US$ 72 million. The opening of the tunnel took place in presence of Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication Ahmet Arslan, Minister of Customs and Trade Bülent Tüfenkci and some other high-ranked local officials on 28 May 2017.[1]