Conservation board objects to viaduct project in Turkey’s green treasure of Gökova

MUĞLA – Doğan News Agency

DHA Photo

The Natural Heritage Conservation Board’s Muğla branch has ruled against a viaduct project which was slated for construction at a crossroads in Gökova, a first-degree natural and archaeological protected area in the Aegean province.

The decision said the project was not suitable for the region because the area is located in a first-degree protected area and that its pattern should be kept sustainable. Moreover, the vegetation, topography and silhouette would be damaged by the viaduct as the project requires the road’s elevation to be raised and trees to be cut.

Turkey’s General Directorate of Highways (KGM) attempted to build the viaduct at the Gökova Crossroad in an effort to provide uninterrupted transportation on the road which connects Marmaris to Fethiye and Muğla city center. When the project was revealed, environmentalists protested against the project, while Marmaris Municipal Council asked for an expert report from Mimar Sinan University’s Urban Planning Department. The expert report said there was no need for a viaduct in the area until 2033.

After the expert report, the city council sent a petition to the KGM to abort the project.  With the decision, the KGM has to cancel the project, lawyer Necmettin Yankol said.