Lebanese government approve the tunnel between Beirut and Chtoura. Tunnel drops travel time to 20 minute between Beirut and Bekaa Valley. Current time is 1,5 hours.

Law gives government authorisation to build the tunnel as BOT (Build - Operate - Transfer) or in private ownership. Government want to build tunnel in BOT model. Lebanon's government will make a a contract between the state and a foreign investors. The investors finance and build tunnel. For a certain length of time investors get paid by the passage fee collected from vehicles. After that certain time, ownership is transferred to the state.

Tunnel will connect Beirut port to Arab inland. When tunnel built, it will make Beirut port one of important ports to transport goods from Mediterranean via Lebanon to other Arab lands. For local people it will disappear traffic jam. Connection between Lebanon's biggest city Beirut and fertile Bekaa valley is good for Lebanon economy.

52 Years ago prime minister Rasid Karami increased oil price by a quarter of Lebanese Lira to finance the same tunnel. There were protests. His government almost got toppled.

This time smoother.

http://nna-leb.gov.lb/ar/show-news/474779/