Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today opened the 1915 Canakkale Bridge, the world’s longest suspension bridge connecting Europe and Asia in the Dardanelles region.
The bridge was opened on the day of the 107th anniversary of the greatest victory of the Ottoman army over the troops of the Entente (March 18, 1915) during the First World War at the Battle of Canakkale (Gallipoli).
The bridge over the Dardanelles will provide a road connection between Lapseki and Gelibolu on both banks, which is currently provided by ferries.
This is one of the largest transport projects in the history of Turkey, the implementation of which began on March 18, 2017.
Erdogan said at the ceremony that Turkey today opened the world’s longest suspension bridge with the largest distance between two vertical supports, ahead of Japan, which has so far held the lead in this regard.
He pointed out that the name of the new bridge marked the year of victory in the battle of Çanakkale – 1915, and the technical features of the bridge are of some importance. Erdogan said that the height of the supporting columns is 318 meters, which corresponds to the date of March 18, and the distance between the two supporting parts of the bridge is 2023 meters, which symbolizes the year 2023, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the republic.
The Turkish president specified that the bridge was built with an investment of 2.5 billion euros and will provide the country with an annual profit of 415 million euros by saving time, fuel and reducing carbon emissions. Erdogan estimates that the project will bring 5.3 billion euros of production, 118,000 euros of employment and 2.4 billion euros of national income to the economy.
Erdogan recalled that the bridge was built on a public-private partnership model, noting that Turkey ranks third in Europe and 13th in the world in implementing this business model.
Erdogan noted that while the transport connection between Lapseki and Gelibolu is carried out only by ferry, the travel time between the two coasts is 1.5 hours. He stressed that with the new bridge, the journey will only take 6 minutes.
The President announced that along with the new bridge, the 101 km Malkara-Canakkale Highway will be opened today as part of a major transport project that will connect Istanbul to Tekirdag via Canakkale to Balakesir.
Erdogan announced that the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge toll for cars would be £200 (25 leva). He noted that the crossing of the bridge in the first week after the opening will be free.