Immersed tunnel, bridge to be built in Turkey’s İzmir: Minister

İZMİR

An immersed tunnel and a bridge will be built in the Aegean province of İzmir, Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan said on May 24, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

Speaking at the second Roads, Bridges and Tunnels Fair in İzmir, Arslan said an underwater tunnel and a bridge would be built in the province as part of a new project. 

He said they aimed to connect the bridge and the tunnel to establish “ring traffic” for İzmir in a bid to mitigate traffic congestion. 

“We will build the ‘İzmir Gulf Passage’ in İzmir. We will build both a bridge and an immersed tunnel here. We will connect them and we will make a ‘ring traffic’ for İzmir,” he said.

He also stressed that developments in transportation across Turkey were ongoing, saying that 200 million people were benefitting from such services in all corners of Turkey.
 
“The Marmaray, which connects Istanbul’s European and Asian sides with a tunnel under the Bosphorus, became one of the first in the world. After that, the Eurasia Tunnel, the first ever road tunnel underneath the Bosphorus in Istanbul, came into service. The Eurasia Tunnel is the deepest double road tunnel in the world, with its 106-meter depth,” he added.    

Arslan said the ministry had meticulously worked on development projects in recent years, adding that they increased the distance of divided roads from 6,100 kilometers to 25,350 in 14 years. 

“We laid hot asphalt to distances of over 21,500 kilometers from 8,000 kilometers; this is very important. Otherwise, this country would have built 50-kilometer tunnels in 80 years; it would have completed the Bolu Tunnel in 17 years. But today, there are 350-kilometer tunnels all over Turkey,” he added.

He also spoke about a tunnel being built between the eastern province of Erzurum and the Black sea province of Rize.

“We have to complete the tunnel; we have already completed 60 kilometers of its overall length. The Ovit Tunnel will not just reach Erzurum and Rize, it is also a project that will open trade way and will make daily life easier for those living in southern and Central Anatolian provinces,” he added.

Arslan said they started construction works for the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in the Marmara province of Çanakkale.

“This bridge will come into service on the centenary of the anniversary of the Turkish Republic and will be the world’s longest bridge. The number of bridges we have completed is 2,150, and the number of bridges being repaired is 897. We, as the Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communication Ministry, had an investment worth 340 billion Turkish Liras in 14 years. We had investments in all areas because we know how important it is to connect provinces together to work for the advancement of the country’s trade and economy. We will continue to do that,” he said.