Cengiz Insaat to build 2nd line of Karawanken Tunnel between Slovenia and Austria in the Alps
A prominent Turkish construction firm won a €98 million ($108 million) tender for a highway tunnel connecting Slovenia to Austria in the Alps, the company said on Tuesday.
Cengiz Insaat will build the second line of the Karawanken Tunnel in Slovenia, stretching 3.5 kilometers (2.17 miles) through mountains.
The additional line is set to ease a traffic jam on the highway, which is used by eight countries.
Utku Gok, the firm’s international projects coordinator, said Cengiz managed to win the tender without a local partner thanks to its superior know-how.
“It’s very difficult for foreign companies to win tenders in Slovenia, so the other companies used local partners,” Gok said.
Noting that the company that won the tender for the construction in Austria has already started work, Gok said: “When we start, there will be a difference of 20 months. We have to complete the project in five years, but we’ll deliver in advance.”
The project will be carried out with a team of 250, including 150 Turkish workers, he said.
Gok underlined that 1,200 vehicles go through the current single tunnel every hour, leading to frequent traffic jams.
“We’ll build another tube next to current one, to make for four lanes, and the speed limit will be 100 km [62 mi] per hour,” he added.