Toll roads rake in cash

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Turkey has raised over 114 million Turkish liras in two months from bridges and tolls, that will be privatized soon after a failed attempt. DHA photo

Turkey’s Directorate General of Highways collected 114.7 million Turkish Liras from bridges and toll roads in the first two months of the year, according to official figures. 

Nearly 54.8 million vehicles passed bridges and highways in January and February. The directorate general collected 80.3 million liras from 31.4 million vehicles passing on highways, while it collected 34.4 million liras from 23.4 million vehicles passing across the Bosphorus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges in Istanbul.

The Finance Ministry canceled the $5.7 billion toll roads privatization tender, which included two suspension bridges over Istanbul’s Bosphorus, on Feb. 22, just weeks after Erdoğan criticized the bid total as being too low.