President Ebrahim Raisi has inaugurated the completion of a section of the so-called Tehran-North Freeway, a protracted road project that is meant to shorten the road trip from the capital city, through the Alborz mountain range, to the northern regions of Iran in Mazandaran Province — a favorite tourist destination.
The north-bound lane of Section-2 of the freeway was inaugurated by the president on Thursday morning July 6, in a ceremony which was also attended by Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash, along with Parviz Fattah, the head of Mostazafan Foundation (Bonyad), the contractor and major stakeholder in the project.
“This project is symbol of self-confidence, strength and knowledge of the Iranian nation,” Raisi said at the inaugural ceremony, referring to reports that the entirety of the project (Section 2) has been designed and constructed by indigenous experts and engineers.
Mostazafan Foundation is one of the biggest holding companies in Iran and the wider Middle East region.
The southbound lane of the freeway is still under construction.
As IRNA reported, the newly-opened stretch of the freeway bypasses the sharp bends in the old route, which is still taken by motorists, and thereby reduces the risk of accidents. It is also said to considerably economize on fuel consumption along the road.
Initial construction work on Tehran-North Freeway, with four phases (sections), began around 27 years ago.
Phase 1 and 4 have already been put into operation. The government is looking to attract foreign investment to complete Section 3, according to Fattah.
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