Roki-Tunnel

The Roki Tunnel (Russian Рокский тоннель / Rokski tonnel; Georgian როკის გვირაბი / Roki gwirabi, Ossetian: Ручъы тъунел ) is a road tunnel through the main crest of the Greater Caucasus. It was completed in 1985 and is located at 2000 m to 2100 m above sea level and connects North Ossetia-Alania in Russia with South Ossetia in Georgia.

At the time of commissioning of the Roki tunnel was the longest road tunnel in the Soviet Union. It has a length of 3.73 kilometers ( 3.66 km according to other sources ). The traffic is passed through a tube with two lanes. The Russian tunnel exit is located at an altitude of about 2000 m, the Georgian at about 2100 m. The under crossed Caucasus ridge where it reaches a height of 3100 m.

The tunnel is a part of the Trans Caucasian highway. The South Ossetian authorities charge a toll for driving the tunnel. In winter and spring it always comes back to avalanches and landslides that block the tunnel outputs. 2002 Russia built a 1.6 km long construction against avalanches before the tunnel.

The border crossing in the tunnel can not be monitored from Georgia and was 1992-2008 when smugglers very popular. In the Caucasus conflict in 2008, he served the Russian armed forces and paramilitary units as the main access to South Ossetia.

42.61176244.100088Koordinaten: 42 ° 36 '42 " N, 44 ° 6' 0" E