A new bridge and checkpoint have been opened on the Azerbaijani-Iranian border to expand the North-South corridor

On Saturday, the official opening of a new bridge and border checkpoint across the Astarachay River took place on the Azerbaijani-Iranian border, a project initiated within the framework of a memorandum signed in 2021 between the governments of Azerbaijan and Iran. This is the fifth checkpoint between two countries.

Construction of the bridge began on March 1, 2022, and the completed structure, designed for freight transportation, is 97.5 meters long and 4 meters wide. The bridge with four traffic lanes and two pedestrian lanes 2.5 meters wide each is designed to facilitate efficient cross-border transport.

At the same time, on August 28, construction and installation of a modular checkpoint along the state border began, which will be completed on December 1. The 4,500 square meter checkpoint is equipped with modern equipment to simplify customs procedures and ensure quick passage. It is expected that the newly created point will serve 250-300 trucks daily, a total of 500-600 trucks, each equipped with modern logistics infrastructure.

The bridge and checkpoint are integral components of the North-South transport corridor, and their commissioning is expected to increase cargo traffic. This year, the volume of cargo transportation along the corridor increased by 44.5%. In the first 11 months of 2023, the volume of bilateral cargo transportation between Azerbaijan and Iran increased significantly by 46% compared to the same period last year, while transit traffic increased 2.1 times. The new infrastructure is designed to further increase the volume of cargo transportation between the two countries.

In addition, efforts are being made to expand the checkpoint, aimed at increasing its capacity to receive at least 1,000 trucks daily. The creation of this road and customs border infrastructure will allow vehicles to bypass the city of Astara, positively affecting the intra-urban traffic flow and overall transportation efficiency.

The opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan and Co-Chairman of the State Commission for Economic, Trade and Humanitarian Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran Shahin Mustafayev, as well as Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Iran and Co-Chairman of the Commission from the Iranian side Mehrdad Bazrpash.