Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced the opening of the final 70-kilometer section of the Aydın-Denizli Motorway between Kuyucak and Aydın, stating that “We have constructed the entire road with a total length of 163 kilometers. Thanks to our motorway, we have reduced the travel time between Aydın and Denizli from 1.5 to 2 hours to 55 minutes, saving a total of 5.3 billion liras annually, with 4.5 billion liras saved from time and 800 million liras from fuel.”

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu conducted the opening of the entire Aydın-Denizli Motorway to traffic.

Minister Uraloğlu mentioned in his speech, “Last year, we had put into service the 93-kilometer section of the motorway, between the Kuyucak Junction at the 60th kilometer and the Kocabaş Junction at the 140th kilometer, with an 80-kilometer main body and 13 kilometers of connecting roads. Now, by completing the remaining 70 kilometers, we have opened the entire motorway to traffic. The motorway, with a total length of 163 kilometers, has 140 kilometers of main road with 6 lanes and 23 kilometers of connecting road with 4 lanes. Hopefully, in the coming days, we will hold the official opening ceremony of our road with the attendance of our President.”

“AYDIN-DENIZLI MOTORWAY STRENGTHENS REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION NETWORK”

Minister Uraloğlu highlighted the role of Aydın and Denizli provinces as a bridge between the Aegean, Mediterranean, and Central Anatolian regions, saying, “Our region, which is an important transit point for commercial and tourist traffic, had already been significantly strengthened by the previously realized projects such as the Istanbul-Izmir Motorway and Izmir-Aydın Motorway. Now, with the opening of the entire Aydın-Denizli Motorway, we have further strengthened the transportation network in this region.”

“WE HAVE REDUCED A 2-HOUR JOURNEY TO 55 MINUTES”

Recalling that the first segment of the motorway from Kocabaş, passing through Pamukkale, Kumkısık, Sarayköy, and Buharkent districts to reach Kuyucak, Minister Uraloğlu said, “The second segment we will open today starts from Kuyucak, passing through Nazilli, Yenipazar, and Köşk districts to end in Aydın. Thanks to our motorway, we have reduced the travel time between Aydın and Denizli by going through 11 districts and 46 signalized intersections on the D-320 State Road from 1.5 to 2 hours to 55 minutes.”

BOOSTING NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Explaining that industrial and agricultural products from industrial center Izmir Port, which is the most important export center in the Aegean Region, would be transferred to Izmir more quickly through Denizli, Minister Uraloğlu said, “We have made transportation to important tourism centers such as Pamukkale, Ephesus, Didim, and Kuşadası, which see increased travel demand in the summer months, more comfortable. We will provide local and foreign tourists who visit and stay in the region with a much more comfortable travel opportunity. In addition, the ability to reach more points in a short period will allow tourists to spend more time in the region and discover different destinations. By leading to increased investments in the region and the opening of new tourism facilities, we will increase new employment opportunities. Just as the Great Meander River, which flows through Denizli and reaches the sea from Söke in Aydın, gives life to these lands, this road will revitalize our region’s economy.”

SAVING 4.5 BILLION LIRAS FROM TIME

Minister Uraloğlu emphasized that with the Aydın-Denizli Motorway, they will save 4.5 billion liras from time and 800 million liras from fuel, stating, “We will save a total of 5.3 billion liras annually. By reducing the carbon emissions of polluting vehicles by 61 thousand tons, we will contribute to the preservation of nature.”

“WE COMPLETED OUR ROAD IN 4 YEARS AND OPENED IT TO TRAFFIC”

Stating that the Aydın-Denizli Motorway project, like many other significant transportation investments, was realized through a public-private partnership model, Uraloğlu explained, “The public-private partnership is not only a construction model but also a financing model. In projects that require high financial resources, we ensure investments are realized much faster with private sector capabilities and financing without using public funds. For example, we laid the foundation of our Aydın-Denizli Motorway at the end of 2020. We completed our road in about 4 years and opened it to traffic. If we had not realized the construction with this model, we would have been talking about a much longer construction period. We complete projects that take between 7 to 20 years with the public-private partnership model in less than 5 years.” Uraloğlu also reminded that, despite the projected construction period of 5 years, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge and connecting roads project was completed in 4.5 years.

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS PROVIDE FOREIGN CURRENCY INFLUX TO TURKEY

Emphasizing that public-private partnership projects are open to international competitive tenders, Uraloğlu stated that they also provided foreign currency influx to Turkey, saying, “For example, two days ago, we signed contracts to start the construction of Ankara-Kırıkkale-Delice, which is 120 kilometers long, and Antalya-Alanya, which is 122 kilometers long, motorways with this model that will be realized in our country.”

IZMIR-ANTALYA DISTANCE WILL BE REDUCED TO 440 KILOMETERS

Uraloğlu mentioned that after the Aydın-Denizli Motorway, they would realize the Denizli-Burdur and Burdur-Antalya motorways in the following stages, saying, “When completed, we will convert the 580-kilometer state road length between Izmir and Antalya into a 440-kilometer motorway. We will provide faster, safer, and more comfortable uninterrupted motorway transportation from Izmir to Antalya. This way, the travel time from Izmir to Antalya will be reduced from 6-7 hours to 3-3.5 hours, bringing two major tourism centers closer to each other.”