ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Officials are calling for restorations to the sole road tunnel that connects Garmiyan administrative areas to Darbandikhan, as the recent 7.3 magnitude earthquake only widened existing cracks in the aging infrastructure.
“The only solution is to renovate it, but I believe this is a temporary solution. The best solution is to implement the decision that stipulates the completion of the Zarayan-Darbandikhan and Kalar-Darbandikhan divided-highway,” said Darbandikhan Mayor Nasih Mala Hassan.
“On a daily basis, drivers, cars, and citizens face issues. For example, heavy trucks get stuck daily…” explained Reizhan Burhan, the head of Darbandikhan’s traffic police.
“The only solution is to renovate it, but I believe this is a temporary solution. The best solution is to implement the decision that stipulates the completion of the Zarayan-Darbandikhan and Kalar-Darbandikhan divided-highway,” said Darbandikhan Mayor Nasih Mala Hassan.
He says the project also includes opening two new tunnels. The tunnel is the only main and commercially-viable road between the Garmiyan areas and Sulaimani. Local officials say the current traffic load is not sustainable.
“On a daily basis, drivers, cars, and citizens face issues. For example, heavy trucks get stuck daily…” explained Reizhan Burhan, the head of Darbandikhan’s traffic police.
Local officials show the aging and earthquake-damaged Darbandikhan tunnel. Video: Rudaw
The tunnel was constructed in 1959 by a British company. Other than being painted occasionally and the roadway being repaved with asphalt, the tunnel has never been fully renovated.
“It has been two to three days that it has not had electricity. Now there is electricity. When you drive through the tunnel you do not expect to reach the other end. This tunnel does not have safety standards,” Soran Hamasalih, a driver, told Rudaw.
The November 12 earthquake with its epicenter at the nearby Iran-Iraq border damaged the tunnel by widening the cracks, especially in the ceiling. Water now leaks through the cracks and will cause further deterioration.
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