The construction of the Toganali-Kalbajar-Istisu highway, one of the important infrastructure projects implemented in the Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions, has been completed by 85%, according to the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev.

Axar.az reports, citing the Azerbaijan State Highways Agency, that the total length of the road is 82 km.

The highway connects the Goygol and Kalbajar districts. The Toganali-Kalbajar section of the road is 56 km long, and the Kalbajar-Istisu section is 26 km long. The Murovdag range begins from the 16th kilometer of the road, where the altitude rises from 1,700 meters to 3,250 meters.

The construction of the Murovdag tunnel, which will be one of the longest automobile tunnels in the world, is underway in this area. The tunnel, with a total length of 23,401.8 meters, will have 4 lanes, two outgoing and two incoming. In addition, 4 more tunnels with lengths of 561.2 m, 626.9 m, 500 m, and 947.9 m are being built within the project.

The Murovdag Tunnel (Tunnel No. 3) consists of left and right sections, with lengths of 11,711.5 m and 11,690.3 m, respectively. A total of 18,160.3 meters of drilling and concrete pouring have been completed in the tunnel. Out of 37 passage tunnels connecting the right and left sections of the tunnel, 36 have been constructed, and work is ongoing on one.

According to the President's instructions, the road is being constructed with 2, 3, and 4 lanes by technical grades I, II, and III. The main part of the road is being constructed by technical grade II (2 lanes, additional lanes on slopes), and the part with the Murovdag Tunnel is being constructed under technical grade I (4 lanes).

The project also includes the construction of 6 road junctions with a total length of 2,968 meters and 35 connecting roads with a length of 4,594 meters.

Currently, land clearing, vegetation removal, excavation, backfilling, and construction of artificial structures are being carried out throughout the project. Construction of the road base and laying of asphalt-concrete pavement are being carried out in the completed sections.

The Toganali-Kalbajar-Istisu highway begins in the Toganali village of the Goygol region and passes through the territory of the liberated Kalbajar region. This road will provide convenient and safe transport connections to many settlements of the region and the famous Istisu recreation area, in addition to the regional center.