Road, Rail Bridge over Aras River to Connect Azerbaijan, Nakhchivan via Iranian Soil
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The construction operation of the Aghband Road Bridge over the Aras River formally kicked off on Saturday as a new transport link between the East Zangezur economic zone of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through Iranian land and territory.
Iran's Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash, during his visit to Azerbaijan, met with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev in order to launch joint transport projects and discuss regional initiatives for the stability and peace in the South Caucasus.
Bazrpash called for developing transport and transit cooperation between the two countries.
To this end, a formal ceremony was held for the construction of a bridge over the Aras River as well as border and customs infrastructures in the area near the Aghband settlement of the Zangilan district.
As a transit route, the Aras Corridor will form the Azerbaijan-Iran-Nakhchivan Corridor by linking East Zangezur Region in Azerbaijan to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through Iran's territory. The Corridor stretches from Aghband to Jolfa and is important for Azerbaijan, Iran and the region as a whole.
The construction of this bridge will expand bilateral relations and freight transit between Iran and Azerbaijan and beyond.
The length of the bridge is 220m and the width is about 25m. It will be completed and operational within a year.
Once construction is complete, the number of vehicles that will pass through the border checkpoint will grow to 1,100 per day, According to Bazrpash.
A memorandum of understanding for building a railroad bridge alongside the road bridge was also signed by Bazrpash and Mustafayev.
