Primorye Territory Governor Vladimir Miklushevsky, Deputy Governor Vasily Usoltsev and Head of the Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Alexander Shvora visited the project site to inspect the course of construction. Mr Shvora said that concrete had been laid on the vault sections, the reinforcement work is almost complete, and that the road has been opened to construction vehicles.

“Inside the tunnel, work is underway to cover the walls with fireproof surfacing and to install lighting, ventilation, firefighting and alarm systems. Next we’ll install a traffic control station,” Alexander Shvora said.

Guard rails and road signs will be installed on the approach roads and road markings will be painted by the end of this week. The tunnel’s portals will be faced with granite slabs. Governor Miklushevsky said memorial plaques would be mounted at the southern and northern entrances.

“Please consider different variants of road signs to be placed near the tunnel, possibly jointly with representatives from Land of the Leopard National Park,” the governor said.

The 575 metre-long Narvinsky Tunnel is being built as part of a programme to preserve the Far Eastern leopard population. The tunnel is located on the section of Khasan-Razdolnoye motorway that borders on the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve and Land of the Leopard National Park.