Crowded Istanbul bridge to undergo repairwork

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge connects Istanbul’s Asian and European sides. DAILY NEWS photo, Hasan ALTINIŞIK

The Fatih Sultan Mehmet (FSM) Bridge, one of the two bridges that connect Istanbul’s Asian and European sides, will be partially closed between June 18 and Sept. 17 for roadwork.

Three lanes of the bridge, which has eight lanes, will be closed to traffic during the period.

Directorate of Highways official Mehmet Karaman said they would also work on the Haliç Bridge over the Golden Horn.

During previous roadwork, Istanbul residents were forced to wait in long traffic queues to access the FSM Bridge, leading to similar delays on the nearby Bosphorus Bridge from motorists looking to avoid the first connector’s bottleneck.

Work teams will be conducting the roadwork 24 hours a day.