ISTANBUL, Mar 19 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkey’s 1915 Canakkale Bridge, the longest midspan suspension bridge, that spans the Dardanelles Strait and connects Europe and Asia, at the western end of the Marmara Sea, was inaugurated yesterday in Turkey’s north-western province of Canakkale.
The bridge, the name of which refers to the Canakkale Naval Victory, achieved on Mar 18, 1915, during World War I, stretches 2,023 metres between its towers, symbolising the year 2023, the centenary of the founding of the Turkish Republic.
The bridge, which costs 2.5 billion euros (2.76 billion U.S. dollars) to build, will generate 5.3 billion euros in economic output, create 118,000 jobs and generate 2.4 billion euros in revenue for Turkey, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, when addressing the inauguration ceremony.
The bridge will save 415 million euros for Turkey each year, from a reduction of fuel consumption and carbon emissions, Erdogan revealed at the ceremony.
With its two-way and six-lane road, the bridge will decrease the approximately one-hour ferry voyage between the two sides across the Dardanelles Strait, to six minutes.
After Istanbul’s three bridges over the Bosphorus Strait, the 1915 Canakkale Bridge is Turkey’s fourth bridge connecting Europe and Asia, and the first to cross the Dardanelles.
The bridge, constructed through a public-private partnership model, was built by a consortium of Turkish and South Korean companies, local media reported. South Korean Prime Minister, Kim Boo-kyum, attended the inauguration ceremony yesterday.
China’s Sichuan Road and Bridge Construction Group also took part in the bridge’s construction, after winning the steel box girder hoisting project bid.– NNN-ANADOLU
