Long lines of trucks behind the Astara customs terminal, a border crossing between Iran and Azerbaijan Republic, have formed in recent days, most of which are carrying transit and export goods to Azerbaijan and Russia from Iran.
Noting that the serpentine logjam of trucks is several kilometers long, Javad Hedayati, an official with the Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization of Iran, says the main reason for the long line is that because of the holdup of trucks crossing form Azerbaijan to Russia, Azerbaijani officials are limiting the entry of trucks at Astara to prevent heavy traffic at the Russian border.
The official noted that truck traffic is seasonally at its peak at Astara border during this time of year when truckloads of citrus fruit and kiwis from the northern provinces of Iran and other agricultural products from the country's southern provinces are exported to Azerbaijan and the Eurasian Economic Union member states.
“Due to the increase in our exports to and transit via EEU member states, traffic at Astara has increased. Another reason for this long queue is the limited capacity of Astara Bridge. We have reached agreements with Baku to build a new bridge alongside the existing old route,” he added.
Mohammad Reza Kadkhodazadeh, a deputy head of the Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructure Company, a subsidiary of Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development said the construction of the new road bridge over Astarachay River on the border between Iran and Azerbaijan is estimated to cost $4.8 million.
“Based on an agreement between Tehran and Baku, each side will have a 50% share in construction expenses. In the recent visit of the Iranian Roads Minister [Rostam Qasemi] to Azerbaijan, a ground-breaking ceremony was held to mark the beginning of the project,” Kadkhodazadeh was quoted as saying by News.mrud.ir.
The official noted that Astarachay Bridge is designed to be 100 meters long and 31 meters wide and the project is estimated to take between 18 and 24 months to complete.
“This border bridge can help immensely in completing the International North-South Transportation Corridor, and increasing our transit routes, which will in turn earn us considerable income,” he said.
“The bridge will connect Iran’s Astara County to Azerbaijan’s Astara making transportation of goods from Iran to Russia, Caucasia and North and East Europe and from Azerbaijan to Central Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, littoral states of the Persian Gulf faster and much more cost-effective.”
Qasemi noted that Iranian goods will reach Moscow in three days once the construction is complete, Mehr News Agency reported.
The agreement for the construction of the bridge was signed by Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rahman Hummatov and Iranian Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Kheirollah Khademi.
"The construction of this bridge was agreed upon by both sides a couple of years ago," said Iranian official, Hassan Kalhori, adding that the bridge will contribute to the development of transport and tourism industries of the two countries.
"Expanding and facilitating transit between Iran and Azerbaijan are another goal of the bridge, which will be built in parallel with the joint rail bridge between the two countries," he added.
Due to the expiration of the service life and the unsuitability of the existing bridge across the Astarachay River, it became necessary to build a new bridge, Azerbaijan’s Trend News Agency wrote.
