2016: Türkiye’s year of mega-projects
With the completion of Istanbul’s third transcontinental bridge, the Istanbul-İzmir Highway Project, the world’s fourth longest suspension bridge, plus the Eurasia tunnel, it can be said that 2016 was Türkiye’s year of mega projects.
The third bridge for the Bosporus: Aug. 26: Istanbul’s Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, which cost nearly $3 billion to construct through the build-operate-transfer finance model, opened on Aug. 26 as the world’s longest suspension rail bridge in its class. It will lead to $1.75 billion a year in savings through reduced travel times and energy costs.
Osmangazi Bridge: June 30 Osmangazi Bridge, a landmark road bridge over Türkiye’s Marmara Sea, cuts travel time between Istanbul and the country’s western provinces. It opened to traffic on June 30, forming part of a new six-lane Istanbul-Izmir highway, with a cost of around $6.3 billion.
Eurasia Tunnel under the Bosporus: Dec. 20: Eurasia Tunnel, Marmaray’s sister, is the first road tunnel for automotive-transit access between the Asian and European sides of Istanbul under the Bosporus. It reduces the travel time between the two sides to 15 minutes and opened on Dec. 20 with a grand ceremony.
Eurasia Tunnel, which cost $1.3 billion, will create a business volume of TL 1.5 million for the Turkish economy and save 52 million hours of time in traffic. The time saving potential is one of the great features provided by the tunnel.
