The completion of sections 2 and 3 of Tehran-North Freeway will be passed over to the next government, according to a deputy roads and urban development minister.
“The northbound lanes of Section-2, which have so far made 60% progress, will be inaugurated within the next few months, yet the southbound lanes, with a progress of 30% so far, will remain for the next administration to complete,” Kheirollah Khademi was also quoted as saying by Fars News Agency.
The official noted that the construction on the 47-kilometer-long Section-3 has not yet begun.
“This section is the most challenging part of the project, both geographically and topographically,” he added.
Khademi, who also doubles as the CEO of the Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructure Company, said investments worth 100 quadrillion rials ($448 million) have been estimated for the completion of the two sections of the project.
“Negotiations with a Chinese company for the funding of Tehran-North Freeway’s third section have reached their final steps,” the official was quoted as saying by ILNA recently.
“The construction of the freeway requires significant investments and we are looking for foreign financial resources. Once the funding is provided, construction on this remaining section of Tehran-North Freeway will begin.”
Section-3 of the project is 47 kilometers long.
The freeway project, which connects the capital Tehran to the city of Chalous in Mazandaran Province has been referred to as one of the most protracted development projects in Iran, as numerous deadlines for completing its different sections have been missed.
The mega project consists of four phases stretching 121 km. When complete, it will cut about 60 km off the existing route.
President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the 32-kilometer-long Section-1 on Feb. 23, 2020.
Sections 2 and 3, which pass through mountainous terrain, are not easily accessible and will take longer to complete.
Roads Ministry officials have said that the Section-2 will be inaugurated within the next three months.
The final stretch of the freeway project, Section-4, which is 20 kilometers long, was inaugurated in March 2014.
The cost of the project, according to Global Construction Review, which was planned in the 1990s and originally due to be completed in 2017, is thought to run into several billion dollars. In 2015, the World Highways website reported that the third section had an estimated cost of $1.5 billion, however prices must have risen since then.
At that time, China Communications was associated with the project.
According to the Tehran-North Freeway Construction and Operation Company, the third section will be based on a design, build and finance model.
China Railway Academy Company, a subsidiary of China Railway Group, signed a memorandum of understanding to build Section-3 in January 2018, but withdrew after the Trump administration reimposed sanctions on Iran later that year.
The June 18 presidential elections will see a new head of government to replace Hassan Rouhani.
Candidate registration ended on Saturday, after which participants will be evaluated on their qualifications by the 12-member Guardians Council.
