When Will the Tehran-North Freeway Be Operational?

After several decades of work on the construction of the Tehran-North freeway, Iranian news sources report that the full opening of this route will be delayed again. According to ISNA news agency, the construction of the 121-kilometer Tehran-North freeway was scheduled to be completed in 2021. This project began in 1997. According to Mohammad Eslami, the Minister of Roads and Urban Development, the first section of the Tehran-North freeway was to be operational in the summer of 2019. Although it was announced that this freeway would be fully operational in about two years, it has now become clear that much more time is needed for its complete opening. Based on forecasts, sections two and three of the Tehran-North freeway will require about four years and 10 trillion tomans of investment. Section two of this project currently has 26% physical progress, and 550 billion tomans have been spent in this area. Official statistics published by the state news agency IRNA predicted the operationalization of the freeway in 2020. The construction of section three of the Tehran-North freeway also requires an investment of about 4.7 trillion tomans at current prices, but considering the five-year duration needed for its implementation, an investment close to seven trillion tomans has been estimated, bringing the total investment required for sections two and three to 10 trillion tomans. According to the Iranian Ministry of Roads, upon completion of the Tehran-North freeway, we will see a 64-kilometer reduction in distance, a three-hour decrease in travel time, and an annual savings of 600 billion tomans in fuel consumption compared to the Tehran-Karaj-Chalus route. The speed limit on the Tehran-North freeway is 100 kilometers per hour, while the speed limit on the Tehran-Karaj-Chalus route is 50 kilometers per hour. Additionally, travel time on the Tehran-North freeway is estimated to be one hour and thirty minutes, while travel time on the Tehran-Karaj-Chalus route is equivalent to four hours and thirty minutes. The capacity of the Tehran-North freeway during the day will be 30,000 vehicles, while the capacity of the Tehran-Karaj-Chalus route is 12,000 vehicles per day. The construction operations of the Karaj-Chalus road began in mid-May 1931 from the revenues of sugar and tea, and it was inaugurated on December 1, 1933. The main tunnel of this road, the Kandovan tunnel, was operational in 1938. However, the construction of the Tehran-North freeway has been ongoing for over 20 years, and the timeline for its operationalization continues to be delayed. In the past, the early opening of sections of the Tehran-North freeway faced criticism. In March 2013, government officials stated that 'section four has temporarily been opened to traffic for Nowruz travelers,' opening the last 20 kilometers of the Tehran-North freeway without lighting and standard asphalt for traffic. Its inauguration was performed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in late April 2013. Environmental concerns regarding this freeway have been raised. Despite twenty years since the start of the Tehran-North freeway construction, the implementation plans for this project are still changing. Changes in construction companies and the entry of various investors and contractors at different times indicate a lack of planning in the execution of this project. In September 2015, Abbas Akhoundi, the former Minister of Roads and Urban Development, announced the division of the freeway into five sections, stating: 'With the definition of section five, the continuation of the freeway will connect to the highway network of the east and west of the Caspian Sea.' There are many who criticize this project, claiming that its construction and use harm a large part of Iran's nature, especially since Iran's forest cover is minimal and northern Iran is currently facing various crises. However, Hamid Farzi, the director-general of natural resources and watershed management in Alborz, states that a 'memorandum' to 'reduce the destructive effects' of the freeway is being finalized. In response to whether an estimate of the number of trees cut down and the extent of damage caused by the implementation of this project has been made, he explained, 'No estimate has been made in this regard, but what is clear is that the destructive effects of this project increase soil erosion.' He expressed hope that the implementation of the memorandum would alleviate these problems.