Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and officials from the Ministry of Transport attended the ceremony on Monday to begin the 15.5-kilometer return leg of Section 2 of Tehran-Shomal Highway.
The roads extend from Shalestanak, a village on the mountains that separates Tehran from the Caspian Sea, to the Alborz Tunnel, the longest road tunnel in West Asia.
According to an official IRNA news agency report, the newly opened road has 16 tunnels with a total of 11.7 km and 12 bridges covering a 1.35 km route.
The opening of the road will significantly reduce travel time for passengers returning from a resort in the Caspian Sea to Tehran.
North and South District, Section 2 of the Expressway, was opened in July 2023 with an investment of $134 million.
Iran has relied on domestic investment and know-how to complete the ambitious Tehran and Shawmal highways since Chinese and South Korean companies resigned from the project in 2018 due to US sanctions.
The country opened 32-kilometer section 1 of the project in January 2020, about seven years after the completion of Section 4, a short drive in Mazandaran between the town of Marzanabad and the coastal city of Charles.
Iran’s Mostazafan Foundation, a large charity responsible for the entire 121-kilometer highway project, said Monday that the construction of Section 3 of the highway, as well as the 54-kilometer road featuring 44-kilometer tunnels and 44 bridges, will end in 2030.
MNA/