Iran to Connect Qeshm Island to Mainland

2011-03-14

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran on Monday started operations for the construction of a large bridge to connect its Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf to the mainland.

The construction phase of the "Persian Gulf Bridge" was launched in a special ceremony attended by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad this morning.

The bridge will connect the Persian Gulf's largest island to the port of Bohal in Iran's Southern Hormozgan province via the port of Laft.

The construction of the 2.2km bridge will take two years and cost €650 million.

Qeshm Island is located a few kilometers off the Southern coasts of Iran, opposite the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Bandar Khamir. The island, which hosts a 300 square kilometer free zone jurisdiction, is 135 km long, and lies strategically in the Strait of Hormuz.

Similarly, at it narrowest point, the island spans 9.4 kilometers. The island has a surface area of 1491 square kilometers and is 2.5 times the size of Bahrain. Qeshm city, located at the easternmost point of the island, is 22 kilometers from Bandar Abbas while the closest point of the island is just two kilometers away from the mainland.

Source: FARS News Agency.
Link: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8912230541.