Başar Arıoğlu, Chairman of the Board of Yapı Merkezi İnşaat ve Sanayi AŞ, informed AA correspondent about the project they are carrying out in Slovenia.
Stating that the project has a high degree of difficulty in the field of tunnel engineering, Arıoğlu said that they proceeded by opening tunnels in limestone-based karstic rock formations specific to the Alpine Mountains.
Pointing out that 13 groups, predominantly European, participated in the tenders for the project, which consists of three phases, Arıoğlu said:
“Yapı Merkezi is involved in all three of the tenders at various rates. The first and second phases of the project cover infrastructure and the third phase covers superstructure works. In 2021, we succeeded in winning the contract with a total contract value of more than 600 million euros. It is both happy and proud for us to take part as a Turkish company in the country's largest and most important project, which will contribute greatly to the economic development of Slovenia, where I also serve as Honorary Consul General.”
To be put into service in 2026
Emphasizing that they continue their work without harming Slovenia's world-famous forests and natural life, Arıoğlu said, “With the Divaca-Koper Railway Project, which is the country's most strategic and important investment to date, we support the Port of Koper, which positions Slovenia as the logistics gate of Europe, to increase its capacity and maximize its service reliability.”
Within the scope of the project, the signing ceremony of the first part of which took place in March 2021, 11 tunnels of 37.9 kilometers were constructed with the New Austrian Tunneling Method or the tunneling method known as “Del-Patlat” in construction site terminology, and there are also two viaducts of 452 and 647 meters in length:
“Our consortium, led by Yapı Merkezi, is successfully carrying out this important project, which includes karstic cave formations and crush zones with a geological history of 600 thousand years. We have used around 1,000 tons of explosives so far within the scope of the project, which is being carried out in consideration of the environment and public health. We aim to complete the project, which is 70 percent complete, by the end of 2025 and open it in 2026.”
“It is very difficult to find workers to work in tunnels in Slovenia”
Bahadır Oral, Director of Yapı Merkezi's Slovenia Projects, pointed out that the company was successful in the region despite the competition, and said that they focused on other factors rather than price and carried out decisive work to win the project.
Pointing out that Yapı Merkezi played an important role in the construction of the tunnel, one of the most important infrastructure projects in the country, Oral said that this project was the gateway to Europe for their company.
Oral said that the biggest challenge in the project was the caves discovered during the tunnel excavations, adding that 83 caves have been encountered so far.
Stating that they continue to work after creating a reinforcement system safely without damaging the caves and taking the necessary measures, Oral made the following assessment:
“Each cave discovery creates both interesting and beautiful images, but it delays the progress of the project. Sometimes work stops for a few days, sometimes a few weeks, and it can take a long time to determine the situation, determine the reinforcement method and then implement the reinforcement system. Despite these challenges, experienced engineers and specialists come up with reinforcement solutions and sometimes new ideas to keep the project moving forward. Another challenge is human resources. Since it is difficult to find workers to work on the tunnels in Slovenia and it takes a long time to bring workers from Türkiye, workers from neighboring countries were needed. The project employs 750 people, 50 of whom are engineers, of whom 500 are Turkish and the rest are from other countries. We are also working with Italian, Croatian and Austrian subcontractors.”
The shape of the viaducts was determined by a competition
Emphasizing that there is a very serious sensitivity especially on environmental issues since it is a project carried out within the European Union (EU), Oral said, “Serious efforts are being made to comply with these at every stage, whether it is inspection or measures.”
Oral said that the €1 billion project, of which €400 million is Slovenia's capital and the participation of the European Investment Bank and various banks, is being constantly audited by the EU and that they have received very positive reactions at these stages.
Explaining that the shape of the viaducts was determined through a competition, Oral added that they work with small producers to support the local economy, buy products from farmers, visit orphanages and hospitals, and support amateur clubs.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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