Kherrata Tunnel
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| Kherrata Tunnel | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
 Interactive map of Kherrata Tunnel | |
| Overview | |
| Official name | نفق خراطة |
| Location | Algeria |
| Coordinates | 36°29′56″N 5°16′20″E / 36.498889°N 5.272222°E |
| Operation | |
| Constructed | 1988 |
| Technical | |
| Operating speed | 80 km/h |
Kherrata Tunnel is a road tunnel located in the municipality of Kherrata, pierced under the Babors, connecting the province of Béjaïa to that of Sétif. With a length of 7 km, it is the longest road tunnel in Algeria. The Kherrata tunnel consists of a single gallery for two-way traffic.
The Kherrata tunnel was built by an Italian company. The structure was inaugurated in 1988 by the Algerian Minister of Transport.[1] In 2014, modernization works were carried out on the tunnel by a Spanish firm. The program included the replacement of lighting systems, ventilation and smoke extraction, and video surveillance.[2]
On June 17, 2017, a vehicle caught fire inside the tunnel. The fire did not cause any casualties. The tunnel was closed to traffic for several hours, resulting in a complete halt of road traffic on National Road 9. In confined spaces like tunnels, fires pose a high risk due to the difficulties of evacuating suffocating smoke, which is extremely dangerous for users.
