BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 29. A new border checkpoint between Iran and Azerbaijan will be opened in Astara (both countries have city of the same name) tomorrow, said Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Iran and Head of Road and Transport Organization Dariush Amani, Trend reports.
According to Amani, officials of the two countries will take part in the event to be organized in connection with the opening of the new border crossing point.
The deputy minister said that the conditions will be created for trucks to pass through the border crossing in the next ten days.
"The opening of the new border checkpoint will put an end to queues of trucks in Iran's Astara and traffic jams," he noted.
The first bridge over Astarachay River on the border between Iran and Azerbaijan has been operating since the Second World War. Trade turnover, cargo transportation and transit between Iran and Azerbaijan by land in Astara are carried out through this bridge.
In order to increase cargo transportation and transit, the construction of the 2nd bridge over Astarachay River was started last year, and has already been completed.
On December 10, Iran's Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Shahriyar Afandizadeh, said that the construction of a temporary border terminal and a temporary road for the exit of empty trucks around the bridge over Astarachay River is nearing completion. Thus, about 800 trucks will be able to pass through the new bridge daily.
The foundation of the new bridge over the Astarachay River, which is the eastern border between Iran and Azerbaijan, was laid on January 25, 2022. The bridge will be 97.5 meters long and 30.5 meters wide, with three spans, four lanes, with two additional lanes for backup traffic. It will also have two pedestrian crossings, each 2.5 meters wide.
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