A New Tunnel Will Be Built Right Next to the Dilijan Tunnel: What Will Happen to the Old Tunnel

The Dilijan tunnel project is currently considering two options. The first option involved renovating and overhauling the existing tunnel, as it clearly requires repair. This renovation would also necessitate upgrading the road via Semenovka to intergovernmental standards, which entails additional costs for the state budget. This was announced by Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Davit Khudatyan during the preliminary discussions on the implementation of the 2024 state budget in the National Assembly.

“This would also be a short-term solution, because it is clear that upon commissioning the tunnel, we would not need such a road compliant with those standards, as the main transit traffic to the Tavush region would be through the tunnel both before and after its commissioning. In both scenarios, meaning ‘tunnel renovation + upgrading the Semenovka road to intergovernmental standards,’ the financial impact on the budget would be the same as that of building a new tunnel,” he stated.

“At this point, we have already made a decision. We are currently working on a project to construct a new tunnel immediately next to the Dilijan tunnel. Soon, we will have more specifics regarding the exact route of the tunnel, but we have a final decision on that aspect. In parallel, the existing tunnel will undergo current repairs, which will allow traffic to be maintained as needed until the new tunnel is constructed and commissioned, after which the existing tunnel will remain as a secondary tunnel, meaning for emergency situations. This way, the safety level in that area will significantly increase,” he added.