Istanbul and Ankara directions closed to traffic following accident at Bolu Mountain exit: Minister declares 'we are on high alert'

Heavy snowfall in the Bolu section of the Anatolian Highway has caused accidents, leading to the closure of the highway in both the Ankara and Istanbul directions.

STATEMENT FROM MINISTER URALOĞLU

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu made the following assessment in his statement regarding the winter conditions across the country:

"Necessary measures have been taken by our General Directorate of Highways and our General Directorate of State Airports Authority in response to the snowfall occurring across our country. Our General Directorate of Highways teams are also intervening in the congestion that occurred following the accident at the Bolu Mountain exit in the Ankara direction.

Our teams are working on a 24/7 basis to ensure our citizens do not face transportation difficulties on our roads. Our teams are on high alert to provide immediate assistance to our citizens in the event of any negative situations.

We kindly request that our citizens take the necessary precautions before setting out in harsh winter conditions, use winter tires, keep necessary emergency equipment with them, and obtain information about routes either from the highways website or the ALO 159 contact line, and we wish everyone safe travels."

ROAD OPENED TO TRAFFIC AFTER TRUCKS MOVED TO THE ROADSIDE

Traffic, which had been disrupted due to snowfall at the Cankurtaran pass in the Gerede district of the Bolu section of the TEM Highway, was reopened after the stranded trucks were moved to the side of the road. During the moments when traffic was at a standstill, some citizens were seen lighting a fire in the middle of the highway.

Snowfall has been effective in Bolu since the afternoon hours. Traffic came to a halt at the Cankurtaran pass in the Gerede district of the Bolu section of the TEM Highway, where heavy snowfall was intense. Vehicles caused traffic disruptions due to property-damage accidents caused by vehicles not equipped with winter tires.

Long queues of vehicles formed in both directions. Vehicles were stranded in the region where kilometers-long queues had formed. Traffic began to clear as vehicles that could not move and jackknifed trucks were moved to the side of the road.

Vehicle density began to ease in the area where long queues had formed. Meanwhile, during the hours when traffic was disrupted, some citizens lit a fire in the middle of the road.