The Istanbul-Ankara Motorway, connecting Turkey's capital with the country's economic and cultural hub, reopened for traffic on Monday after the removal of a pile of earth blocking the entrance of the Mount Bolu Tunnel.
The motorway was partially closed on Saturday after a landslide blocked the tunnel's entrance. The landslide, which took place on the northern end of the tunnel, covered all three lanes in the Ankara direction and one lane in the Istanbul direction with earth and rocks on a 50-meter (55-yard) section of the motorway.
The works carried out by the crews to open the road have been completed. In the last stage, the road was washed after the mud on the ground was cleared. Traffic was expected to return to normal by Sunday at noon; however, the road actually reopened on Monday for both directions nearly 44 hours later.
Diverted to the D-100 highway from Abant in the Istanbul direction and from Kaynaşlı in the Ankara direction, vehicles were able to enter the highway after officials reopened the access roads.
The tunnel is crucial for passenger and freight traffic, bypassing Mount Bolu Pass, itself eponymous with snowfall, accidents and sharp bends.
