Çanakkale to be site of Turkey’s longest bridge

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

İhsan Akbıyık says a tender for Turkey’s longest bridge will be launched next year.

The three-lane suspension bridge to be built between Lapseki and Gelibolu in Turkey’s northwestern Çanakkale region is set to become the country’s longest bridge at 3,623 meters.

The bridge will be part of the Çanakkale-Tekirdağ-Kınalı-Balıkesir highway project and will be built to withstand seismic damage. The bridge is also expected to be Turkey’s most important industrial project after the slated third bridge project for Istanbul, according to İhsan Akbıyık, assistant general manager of Turkey’s Highway Authority.

“This bridge will increase the importance of Turkey’s Thrace region and will significantly lighten the load and traffic on Istanbul’s bridges. It will also facilitate access to İzmir,” said Akbıyık in an interview with Anatolia news agency.

Tekfen Holding has already begun designing the bridge after winning the design tender. The construction tender is expected to be given in 2013, after which work can begin. The exact location of the bridge has not yet been decided, according to Akbıyık, but there will be a passage toll.