Tabriz, South Azerbaijan, Sep 20
‘Baku–Astara road was already 243 kilometers, whose length has extended to 204 kilometers as the new highway, being 38 kilometers shorter than the previous one, connected to it,’ said Saleh Mohammadof, head of North Azerbaijani Roads department in connection with the construction of the highway.
He added that this 204-kilometer quadrant highway project was implemented in several phases from 2006 to 2009 and 2011 to 2018 with the partnership of several companies from North Azerbaijan, Turkey, Italy, Germany, and the United States.
The new highway ‘Elet’ (Baku suburbs) – Astara- border of Iran — is constructed on a loan extended by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The previous road connecting Baku to Astara was old, worn-out, narrow and uneven, and created many international transportation problems for the truck drivers.
The operation of the new Baku-Astara highway, which is part of the North-South International Shipping Corridor, will encourage the development of tourism, agriculture, and transportation while facilitating transportation of vehicles.