StrategIcally located between Asia and Europe, Turkey plays an important role in global trade. It also is a major European hub with its large scale transport projects. With planned year end completion of many transport projects, international investors will have even better means to benefit from the strategic positioning of Turkey at the crossroads of global trade.
ISTANBUL IZMIR HIGHWAY
The first stage of Turkey’s 2023 target projects is already underway. The 40 kilometer Altınova-Gemlik phase of the 433-kilometer-long İstanbul-İzmir Highway as it is largely known among public, (officially called the Gebze-Orhangazi-İzmir Highway) is operational as of July 2016. The highway stretches from Yalova, Bursa, Balıkesir, Manisa, Kütahya through to İzmir. Servicing a geography that is home to some 38 million inhabitants, the project allows for much shorter drive time from İstanbul to major cities of Bursa (1 hour), Izmir (3 hours), and Eskişehir (2.5 hours), overall reducing travel times from İstanbul to Southern Aegean Region and Antalya.
The major landmark within the project, the Osmangazi Bridge, is the fourth-longest suspension bridge in the world by the length of its 1550 meter central span and 2682 total length. It consists of 113 deck slabs.
WORLD’S WIDEST BRIDGE: YAVUZ SULTAN SELİM
Constructed on the Bosphorus Strait as part of the Northern Marmara Highway Project, the 10-lane Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge is expected to be world’s widest bridge, with 4 lane motorway traffic planned at each direction plus 2 lanes for railway travel. Total cost of the 120-kilometer-long bridge is estimated as USD 3 billion. The bridge is first of its kind thanks to the co-located railway decks and is a record-breaker with its 322-meter tower height and 59-meter width. Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge will have 1408-meter span and 2164-meter length and will be world’s longest combined railway-motorway suspension bridge.
Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge will open at end of August.
EURASIA TUNNEL
The Eurasia Tunnel (Istanbul Strait Tube Tunnel) is a road tunnel under construction in Istanbul, crossing the Bosphorus strait under the sea. The project's completion is expected by 20 December 2016.
The 5.4 km (3.4 mi) double-deck tunnel will connect European and Asian parts of Istanbul on a 14.6 kilometer route. It will cross the Bosphorus beneath seabed, with the aim to alleviate Istanbul’s traffic load. Providing employment opportunity for for 1800 workers, project will make a TRL 560 million economic contribution and generate TRL 100 million for the treasury. Project is planned to reduce carbon emissions by 82 tons and ensure fuel savings of TRL 38 million.
BAKU- TBILISI- KARS RAILWAY
Also known as the the “Iron Silk Road”, Baku- Tbilisi- Kars project is expected to be complete by year end. This is the third big project undertaken by a consortium of the three countries following Baku- Tbilisi- Ceyhan and Baku- Tbilisi – Erzurum branches and will have transport capacity of 1 million passengers and 6.5 million tons’ freight. It is planned that the project capacity will increase to 3 million passengers and 17 million tons’ freight by 2034.
LARGEST OF ALL: ISTANBUL 3. AIRPORT
With 150 million expected passenger capacity upon completion, Istanbul 3. Airport is set to go for the world number one as a global aviation hub. Planned on a 76 million m2 land and phased out in 4 stages, the airport will have 6 runways and total construction cost of the project will be EUR 10.2 billion. Further enhancing İstanbul’s strategic eminence, the airport is already listed as the largest project in Turkey’s history. With Phase 1 planned to go live in February 2018, the airport is expected to provide employment for 120 thousand people.
THE FIRST THREE-STOREY TUNNEL BENEATH SEA
We reached the tender process in the “Three-storey Great Istanbul Tunnel Project,” which aims to relieve Istanbul’s traffic. Deep drilling will be applied both on land and in sea to identify ground data as part of the due diligence, project design, and engineering services. The yearly budget stands at 7.5 million Turkish liras whereas the total phase has a total cost of 35 million Turkish liras. Engineering projects are scheduled to be completed in one year after the tender process. The tunnel will pass under the Istanbul Strait, and accommodate both a main road and railroad in one single tube. It will have a two-way railroad in the middle and two-lane road on the top and bottom for the travel of rubber-wheeled vehicles. Representing firsts in the world with its size and scope, the project will also be integrated with nine metro lines, the TEM Motorway, E-5 Highway, and North Marmara Motorway. The tunnel will make it possible to travel from the European to the Asian side in 40 minutes through the 31-km long high-speed metro, which consists of 14 stations.
6.5 million daily passengers are expected to benefit from the line.
MOUNTAINS TO BE CROSSED FOR TRADE OVIT TUNNEL
When completed, the Ovit Mountain Pass will connect Rize and Erzurum as Turkey’s and Europe’s first and the world’s second longest double-tube highway. Upon completion, the Ovit Tunnel will result in a road that is open throughout year shortening the distance to 3.8 kilometers. The tunnel is expected to make an annual economic contribution of TL 60 million to the region with a length of 17.3 kilometers together with the linking roads.
CANAL ISTANBUL
The Canal Istanbul Project will lead to two strategically important Istanbul Straits, which connect the Black Sea with the Marmara Sea and then the Aegean Sea with the Mediterranean. Preparations for the project have been completed, and pre-implementation activities are still under way. New attractions will be built around the Canal. The project will connect Küçükçekmece and Arnavutköy on the European side turning Istanbul into a city where two seas pass through. The 24-meter deep, 40-kilometer long and 200-meter wide Canal will be built mainly on public lands. The project will shift the already busy passages from the Bosphorus strait to the new alternative. The Canal will also have six bosphorus bridges over it.
JAPAN TO BE OVERTAKEN: ÇANAKKALE 1915 BRIDGE
Çanakkale 1915 Bridge is another giant project to be kicked off this year. Feasibility studies are under way for the construction of one of the world’s longest suspension bridges. With a tower span of 2,000 meters, the bridge is expected to outpace the Akashi Kaikyo Strait Bridge in Kobe-Hyogo as the world’s longest bridge.
TUBE TUNNEL IN THE GOLDEN HORN
Projects become increasingly valuable along the historical peninsula’s inlet, which is known as the Golden Horn throughout history. The Unkapanı Highway Tunnel Project will connect the historical peninsula to Şişhane, Kasımpaşa, and Karaköy districts over Unkapanı. Land transportation on these lines will be fulfilled with a tunnel bridge built completely under water. The underwater bridge will appear at a depth of 8.5 meters below sea level and installed on the piles inserted to the sea bottom. The tunnel will be 900 meters long and will have three lanes in both directions. Water flow will be resumed when the construction is taken below water removing the current blockage. The tunnel project in Unkapanı will improve the Golden Horn shores leading to new recreational and green areas. As the current bridge will be removed with the completion of the tube tunnel project, pedestrian access will be ensured through decks from Karaköy to Kasımpaşa to Hasköy, and there will be occasional floating docks. Floating docks will be built with a foldaway feature and therefore enable marine transportation to shipyards.