Here is our report, with up to date photos, on the current state of the roads, in and around Kalkan.

First, the good news.  Most of Kalkan town has recovered from the mess caused by the laying of new electricity cables.  It is not quite back to how it was before, but it is not too bad now. 

In one or two places, the roads are still untidy and uneven - for example, along Gül Sokak, and down past the nursery school (Ortaokul Caddesi).  And look out for the new speed bump, in front of Teskom supermarket.

In the centre of town, the streets are pretty tidy, and lots of holes have been filled.  We expect the barriers that restrict evening traffic to be introduced by the middle of May.  Traffic may not go into the old town after 7pm.  Watch out for the odd scooter that tries to get through the barriers.

The car park extension at the top of the old town is still 'work in progress'.

Kışla Caddesi service road
We checked the service road today, and it was not usable, due to heavy machinery operating.  If this work had not been going on, it would have been possible to go from one end to the other, however the surface is rocky and far from being finished.  You can drive a car along this road - very slowly.  You can just about ride a scooter - even more slowly. 

If you are thinking of walking, you need sturdy shoes.  And if you are thinking of walking after any rainfall, our advice is get a taxi instead, unless you want your footwear to be caked in mud.

Pathway from behind the beach to Kömürlük
Technically, walkable with care, however the road is very uneven and it is quite a climb, (or descent).   At night, there is no lighting to speak of.  When completed, this will be a great short cut to town, but for now, it is only for the most determined, and careful walkers.

Dual carriageway into town from traffic light junction
In an earlier article, we mentioned that work was taking place on this stretch of road.  The work was brief in duration, and there has been no activity on the road for some time.  Now that the tourist season is upon us, this dual carriageway will have to wait.

The Kalkan By-pass - D400
Meanwhile, back at the D400, it's time for a final push.  The contractors were given 600 days from 12th September 2009, to get the job done.  By our calculation, 'Day 600' is Wednesday 4th May 2011.

There is no way that everything is going to be finished by then.  For a while it looked like they might be able to do it, but over recent weeks, the level of activity seen, is not going to get them to the finishing tape on time. 

It is possible that as plans have changed over the construction period, additional time has been negotiated.  Our guess is that a few more weeks may be required, but of course that totally depends on the level of resources to be deployed, (men and machinery).  It may take longer.

To recap, the stretch of D400 dual carriageway from the petrol station to the junction where Luka restaurant used to be, is pretty much done, although only the upper carriageway is open right now.  Just a few finishing touches to the edges of the road are required.

Between the old Luka junction and Kışla, the upper carriageway is open to two way traffic, but the lower carriageway has yet to be surfaced.

At the old Luka junction, (which we should perhaps rename as the Deniz Bank sign junction, now that Luka has relocated - unless KTLN readers can suggest a better name), there is no sign of a proper junction being marked out yet, and in fact, the road surface is a bit of a mess.

The Kışla junction remains in the same position, despite the original plans showing it was to be moved slightly, in the direction of Kalkan, and away from the bend.

Summary view
In summary, Kalkan town is pretty reasonable now.  The service road from Kışla is challenging, as is the path from the beach to Körmürlük.  The D400 won't be finished by 4th May, but could probably be finished in a matter of a few weeks, providing some serious resources are allocated to do the work.

Let's end on a positive note.  The D400 is a one off, and once put to bed, it will help the flow of traffic.  In particular, it will enable vehicles to overtake slow moving traffic in safety, where previously they could not. 

And in town, let's hope all the cable laying is now done.  Nobody out there wants piped gas do they?  No.  we thought not!

And so to some KTLN photos - here they are. The man in the new water pipe, in our top photo, above, was extracted unharmed.

Below: The Deniz Bank sign junction.

Below: Looking past the Kışla junction towards Kalkan.

Below: Kışla Caddesi service road, close to the Club Patara end.

Below: Kışla Caddesi, a bit further along towards Kalkan.  It's rough.

Below: Kışla Caddesi, close to Kalkan, and blocked by machinery. 

 Below: The footpath from Kömürlük, looking down to Kalkan beach.

Below: The new concrete, terraced seating, at the far end of Kalkan's extended town beach.

KTLN - your window on Kalkan Turkey.

Katie-Ellen
Love KTLN. Love Kalkan.