The final deck of the cross-continental “1915 Çanakkale Bridge", linking Europe and Asia, was assembled on November 13, with the attendance of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, which has already become one of the icons of our country, is a proof that we are now another step closer to our goal of a strong Türkiye," said President Erdoğan at the installation ceremony.
Emphasizing that Türkiye is on the verge of completing this key leg of the highway project surrounding the Marmara Region, President Erdoğan added, "When you set off from Istanbul Airport and continue on the European side via this highway, you will reach Izmir over the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge. You can still reach Izmir via the Osmangazi Bridge and Bursa line if you depart from the Istanbul Airport and proceed in the Anatolian direction over the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge. The Northern Marmara Highway was initially designed to be 398 kilometers long, however we expanded it to 443 kilometers and commissioned this additional section during the pandemic."
Started in 2017 as an exceptional feat of engineering in terms of design and construction, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge is one of the longest middle span suspension bridges in the world, with spires towering 318 meters. The Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model-project involves a team of 670 engineers, over 5,000 workers, 740 construction vehicles, and 106 subcontractors. With the completion of the bridge slated for March 18, 2022, a new era will begin for trade, transport and tourism sectors, opening up new opportunities thanks to the reduction of delivery time.