Drilling work begins for Istanbul’s pedestrian underwater tunnel

Fatma Aksu – ISTANBUL

Drilling work for an underwater pedestrian tunnel that will connect Istanbul’s European and Asian sides has begun. 

The project, designed by the Istanbul Municipality’s engineering and architecture company, BİMTAŞ, was sold to an Ankara-based construction company for 7.5 million Turkish Liras, which started the tunnel’s drilling work connecting the Kabataş coast on the European side to the Üsküdar coast on the Asian side.

The drilling is expected to be done by March 12, 2017, while the entire project is expected to finish before Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş’s third term ends in 2019. 

The tunnel will have two levels and will run through 20 meters below the surface of the Bosphorus Strait. On its top floor, pedestrians and cyclists will be able to commute between the continents, while on the bottom floor, rubber tire-vehicles and electric cars will be able to drive through.  

The tunnel will connect to a transportation transfer center, which is currently under construction in Kabataş and is designed in the shape of a seagull with open wings located on a 10,000-square-meter pedestrian concourse. The transfer center is expected to have multiple interchange platforms to sea and road traffics with the city’s rail system.