Türkiye looks to expand the main road network to nearly 50,000 kilometers (nearly 31,070 miles) in 2025, prioritizing key corridors and border connections, according to a report on Tuesday citing a budget proposal for next year.
The total road network is planned to reach 49,793 kilometers next year, with the priority being placed on the construction projects and routes connecting east-west corridors, north-south axes, ports and borders.
The planned network includes 30,018 kilometers of divided highways, 15,979 kilometers of single roads and 3,796 kilometers of motorways.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently reaffirmed the government's commitment to further expanding Türkiye's transportation infrastructure, spearheaded by the road network, pledging to continue initiatives and investments.
One of the primary focuses in road construction projects is to establish road and railway connections to major ports, according to a compilation by the Anadolu Agency (AA) from the 2025 central government budget proposal.
Completing road investments on corridors connecting border gates and continuing the construction of divided roads in sections with heavy freight traffic on the road network are also among the priorities, the report said.
In all construction works, prioritization is made by considering the annual average daily heavy vehicle traffic, truck routes, east-west corridors, north-south axes, ports and borders, and whether they are international corridors.
Türkiye, in recent years, has heavily invested in infrastructure projects, roads, and airports, having completed some major projects such as the Eurasia Tunnel, Istanbul Airport and the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge.
Importance is also given to the construction of single-platform roads that enhance traffic safety by connecting non-standard roads included in the network and main arteries, connection roads and border roads, which are included in the priority roads for security reasons.
Moreover, the planning of state and provincial roads aims to ensure traffic safety and improve road standards.
Divided road length to exceed 30,000 kilometers
The General Directorate of Highways aims to increase the length of divided roads to 29,712 kilometers and single-platform roads to 15,685 kilometers by the end of this year.
The agency also plans to carry out 251 kilometers of repairs and renovations with new bituminous hot mix (BSK) and apply BSK paving on 800 kilometers of state and provincial roads.
It is planned to reach a divided road length of 30,018 kilometers next year, 30,494 kilometers in 2026 and 31,148 kilometers in 2027.
The length of single roads is also targeted to increase to 15,979 kilometers next year, 16,289 kilometers in 2026 and 16,604 kilometers in 2027.
At the same time, the motorway length is projected to reach 3,796 kilometers in 2025, 3,953 kilometers in 2026 and 4,262 kilometers in 2027.