Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha highway construction in full swing

By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

The construction of the Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha highway in the liberated lands is in full swing, Azernews reports, citing the Azerbaijani State Agency for Automobile Roads.

The construction of the 81.6-km road, which connects the liberated Fuzuli, Khojavand, Khojaly, and Shusha districts, starting from the M6 Hajigabul-Horadiz-Aghband-Zangazur highway is being carried out in line with the international road norms, the agency underlined.

The highway is being built with 4-6 traffic lanes according to the first technical grade. Thus, the first 48 kilometers of the road consist of six lanes, while the next 48 to 81.6 kilometers have four traffic lanes. The road bed is 29.5 and 21.5 meters wide, respectively.

Along the way, 137 culverts of various diameters, 30 underpasses, seven bridges, seven tunnels, and nine viaducts are being constructed. The tunnels are conditionally named T1A (3,303m), T1 (351.5m), T2 (550m), T3 (681.5m), T4 (570m), T5 (478.5m), and T6 (526m).

Construction activities on T4, T5, and T6 tunnels are already in the final stage. Thus, excavation, concrete work, drainage, and construction of cable pipes have been completed in the mentioned tunnels. Currently, a new asphalt-concrete coating is being laid inside the tunnel, as well as on the entrance and exit roads of the tunnels.

Excavation and shotcrete activities have already been completed in T1, T2, and T3 tunnels. At present, internal drainage, construction of cable pipes, and belt concreting are underway in the tunnels.

Excavation and reinforced concrete support activities were carried out on the left side of the T1A tunnel for a total distance of 1,426 meters and on the right side for a total distance of 1,604 meters. Currently, the mentioned activities are in progress at other distances.

Currently, eight of the nine viaducts (bridges built over the stream) planned to be built under the project are under construction. During the construction of three viaducts, for the first time in Azerbaijan, concreting work was performed by the method of horizontal sliding of the formwork.

The concreting work with the mentioned method is already being completed on the viaduct built at the 79.7th km of the road, the average length of which is 380 m (left-410 m, right-350 m). Currently, construction activities on the viaduct in this direction are in the final stage.

Under the project, the construction of bridges for cars, underpasses, culvert circular pipes, and rectangular monolithic pipes is ongoing. Over 70 percent of the overall artificial installation work has been completed.

At present, earthworks along the road are also being carried out. Thus, the construction of a new roadbed with excavation and filling work, as well as the construction of the road base using an optimal gravel and sand-gravel mixture, are ongoing. Asphalting has been started in the sections where the road base is ready.

In addition, the construction of a junction on the Victory Road section connecting to the Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha highway is also being successfully carried out.

The construction is carried out under the supervision of the agency in line with the requirements of Construction Norms and Rules.

The construction of the Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha highway is scheduled to be completed in 2024.

The road infrastructure projects implemented in the territory of Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur economic regions will play an important role in the socio-economic development of the regions and villages liberated from Armenian occupation, the agency underlined.