Çukurova International Airport and the connecting roads that will serve the centers in the region, especially Adana and Mersin, were opened with a ceremony on Saturday, August 10. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, General Director of Highways Ahmet Gülşen, public and private sector representatives and citizens attended the opening ceremony in Yenice.
In his opening speech, President Erdoğan stated that Çukurova International Airport is 35 kilometers from Adana and 40 kilometers from Mersin and that the airport will be easily accessible from both cities and that the construction of the connecting roads started at the same time as the construction of the airport.
Stating that the airport is accessible via state roads and highways, our President said, “We have completed our 15.9-kilometer road in divided road standard to provide safer, faster and more convenient access to the airport via connecting roads. Within the scope of the project, we have built eight single bridges with a total length of 258 meters, two double bridges with a length of 90 meters and a different level intersection with a length of 127 meters. Thanks to the road, we will save a total of 494 million TL annually, including 84 million TL in time and 578 million TL in fuel,” he said.
Reminding that 15 million vehicles have passed through the 18 July Martyrs’ Adana Bridge, which was opened last year, Erdoğan emphasized that they did not neglect Adana and Mersin while serving the whole of Turkey. Referring to the ongoing investments in the region, our President said, “We have invested a total of over 200 billion TL in the transportation and communication infrastructure of our two provinces with current figures. We are connecting Antalya and Mersin with the 483-kilometer Mediterranean Coastal Road, which will shorten the current 43-kilometer route by 440 kilometers. Within the scope of the project, we are building 51.2 tunnels and 33 bridges with a total length of 77 kilometers. “When the project is completed, we hope to reduce the travel time from 9 hours and 30 minutes to 4.5 hours,” he made his statements.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, who commented on the projects commissioned during the year, stated that major transportation investments such as Beyşehir-Seydişehir Road, Nallıhan Bird Sanctuary Tunnel and Connection Roads, Diyarbakır-Batman-Bismil Road and Yusufeli Central Viaduct were successfully commissioned within the scope of highways and that the main aim of the ministry is to undertake many more projects within the scope of the project.
Uraloğlu highlighted the importance of the project for the region, stating that due to its proximity to Mersin and Adana provinces, as well as Osmaniye and Niğde, the airport will serve more than 5 million citizens living in these cities and is one of Turkey’s most important gateways to Middle Eastern countries.
