Another delay on the Antalya-Alanya highway

The tender for "Consultancy Services," which was planned for February 26 for the Antalya-Alanya highway, has been postponed. Political party representatives in Alanya, stating that no work has begun on the highway, expressed their reaction by saying, "The government has forgotten Alanya, which contributes so much to the country's economy."

The contract for the project design of the Antalya-Alanya highway was signed on October 14, 2024. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu had previously announced that construction work would begin before the end of 2024. However, while no work has yet started on the project, it was announced that the tender for "Consultancy Services for the Construction, Operation, and Transfer Process under the Build-Operate-Transfer Model," initially scheduled for February 26, has been postponed to March 19. Political party representatives, emphasizing that the traffic problem between Antalya and Alanya is worsening, reacted strongly to the situation.

Another election promise

İYİ Party Alanya District Chairman Hilmi Er stated:

"Antalya and Alanya are the driving forces of Turkish tourism, the regions that receive the most tourists and have the most intense traffic.

The high-speed train project between Antalya and Alanya, as well as the Antalya-Alanya highway project, have been repeatedly presented by the government as election promises to the voters of Antalya and Alanya. Later, it was announced that the high-speed train project was canceled but that the highway project would continue. The tender for the highway, under the Build-Operate-Transfer model, was held on October 14, and construction was promised to begin before the end of 2024.

However, this project has turned into a never-ending saga – so far, only a tender has been held, and now we have learned that the consultancy services tender has been postponed once again.

The highway must be built urgently, as it is crucial for the healthy operation of tourism, trade, and agriculture between Antalya and Alanya. The government continues to make promises it cannot keep, the media reports on them, and we, as the opposition, continue to criticize the ruling party. Unfortunately, nothing changes. In the next election period, this promise will resurface once again. We are deeply saddened for Antalya and Alanya."

Nearly 15 million tourists visit every year

Zafer Party Alanya District Chairman Tahsin Biner stated: "The Antalya-Alanya region, which welcomes nearly 15 million tourists from all over the world every year, has once again been left to wait for another time when it comes to its pressing transportation issues.

While experts are still debating how beneficial this project actually is, the government, which has built a highway between Ankara and Niğde, has once again forgotten about this region, which receives millions of tourists and makes a significant contribution to the national economy.

This government has nothing left to offer the Republic of Turkey. The country urgently needs a new, young, and dynamic leadership."