65 consuls-general visit third Bosphorus bridge with Istanbul mayor

“[The consuls-general] were really impressed by the bridge, seeing Asia from the European continent, seeing Europe from the Asian continent; living in a city that connects two continents is something interesting,” Topbaş told reporters on May 31, during a visit to the newly-inaugurated bridge as part of a regular meeting with consuls-generals held once every six months. 

The mayor initially held a meeting with the consuls-general and informed the officials about the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge – a $3 billion project completed over a span of three years, named after the Ottoman sultan who was famous for his conquests on the Eastern side of the world. 

Meeting in the Garipçe village of Istanbul’s northwestern Sarıyer district, the group later crossed the bridge on foot to the Asian side and took a souvenir photo together, as Topbaş asked the diplomats to “take a step towards happiness.”

Speaking to the press, the mayor underlined that around 40,000 trucks currently traverse the second Bosphorus Bridge, explaining it would operate as an intra-city bridge once the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge becomes operational. 

Topbaş also informed the consuls-general about other major plans for Istanbul, including a walking tunnel stretching between the European district of Kabataş and the Asian district of Üsküdar in addition to a controversial project dubbed “Kanal Istanbul” which aims to build a canal across the city’s European side to supplement the Bosphorus Strait.