Roki Tunnel
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | Roksky Tunnel |
| Location | South Ossetia,Georgia North Ossetia,Russia |
| Status | active |
| Route | Transcaucasian Highway |
| Crosses | Roki Pass |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1984 |
| Closed | 2010 |
| Rebuilt | 2010-2015 |
| Reopened | 2015 |
| Technical | |
| Length | 3,730 m (12,240 ft) |
| No.oflanes | 2 |
| Tunnel clearance | 4.75 m (15.6 ft) |
| Width | 7.5 m (25 ft) |
TheRoki Tunnel(also calledRoksky Tunnel,Georgian:როკის გვირაბი;Ossetian:Ручъы тъунел;‹See Tfd›Russian:Рокский туннель) is a mountain tunnel of theTranskamroad through theGreater CaucasusMountains, north of the village Upper Roka. It is the only road joiningNorth Ossetia–AlaniainRussiaintoSouth Ossetia,a breakaway republic ofGeorgia.The road is manned at the town ofNizhny Zaramagin North Ossetia and is sometimes referred to as the Roki-Nizhny Zaramag border crossing.
The tunnel, completed by theSovietgovernment in 1984, is one of only a handful of routes that cross the North Caucasus Range. It is at about 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) altitude and its length is 3,730 metres (12,240 ft), and near theRoki Passat about 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) altitude, which can only be used in summer.[1][2] The other routes between Georgia and Russia include theKazbegi–Verkhni Larscustoms checkpoint on theGeorgian Military Road,closed June 2006 [3]and reopened 2010, and theGantiadi–Adlercrossing inAbkhaziawhich Georgia asserts functions illegally.[4]
The tunnel has been important throughout theGeorgian–Ossetian conflict.The South Ossetian authorities use tolls levied on tunnel traffic as one of their main sources of revenue. The Georgian government, backed by theUnited States,has long called for the South Ossetian side of the tunnel to be placed under the control of international monitors, rather than by the South Ossetian secessionists and their Russian allies.[5]
When the Russian authorities blocked theKazbegi-Verkhni Larscustoms checkpoint between June 2006 and March 2010, the Roki Tunnel was the only available road route from Russia to South Ossetia. The tunnel was also used as a supply route for the Russian troops during the2008 Russo-Georgian War.[6]
The tunnel was reconstructed due to damage caused by Russo-Georgian War.[7]Reconstruction took2+1⁄2years and was finished in October 2015.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Der Roki-Tunnel – Schlüsselstelle im Georgien-Konflikt"(in German). Derstandard.at. 2008-08-18.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-03-16.Retrieved2019-02-03.
- ^"Roki Tunnel".Structurae.de.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-12-26.Retrieved2008-08-10.
- ^"Families split by Ossetia border closure".2008-01-23. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-09-08.Retrieved2008-08-10.
- ^"Explosion Redirected".2006-07-10. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-07-15.Retrieved2008-08-10.
- ^"Georgian rebel region evacuates children after deadly clashes".Channel NewsAsia. 2008-08-05. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-09-11.Retrieved2008-08-10.
- ^Michael Evans (2008-08-11)."Georgia: Reckless Saakashvili took on Russian Goliath Putin".The Times.Archived fromthe originalon 2008-09-03.Retrieved2008-08-11.
- ^"Roki tunnel reopened".DFwatch - Democracy & Freedom Watch. 2014-11-10.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-12-08.Retrieved2016-08-29.
- ^"Second phase of the Roki Tunnel Construction Completed at the Border with South Ossetia".SK Most. 2014-10-21. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-09-18.Retrieved2016-08-29.
External links
[edit]- "Roki - Tunnel of Misfortune".The Georgian Times. 2008-09-04. Archived fromthe originalon September 4, 2008.RetrievedSep 10,2008.
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