2019 to be year of megaprojects in Turkey: minister

By Trend:

Year 2019 will become the year of megaprojects in Turkey, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Mehmet Cahit Turhan said, Trend reports Jan. 4 with reference to the ministry.

He said that over the past 16 years, 537 billion liras have been spent on implementation of transport projects in Turkey.

He also noted that during the period, all the projects in Turkey were implemented within the government's “Vision 2023” program.

He added that transport projects will be implemented in 2019 and tenders will be held for construction of a shipping channel and a large tunnel in Istanbul.

He noted that the project envisages construction of the world’s first three-story tunnel under the Bosphorus in Istanbul. One railway and two highways that will connect the Asian and European parts of Istanbul will be laid through the tunnel. The capacity of the tunnel will be 6.5 million passengers per year.

The Istanbul channel is meant to reduce the burden of the Bosphorus Strait, as well as to prevent the threat of environmental and man-made disasters on one of the most intense sea routes in the world.

The length of the shipping channel will be 43 kilometers. The width of the Istanbul Channel, according to plans, will be 400 meters, and its depth will be 25 meters. The channel will let 150-160 vessels pass per day.

The Istanbul Channel will run parallel to the Bosphorus and will actually make the European part of Istanbul an island and separate it from Europe. The channel will pass from the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea through the Kucukcekmece Lake.

As part of the project, the construction of a new port is also expected.

The construction of the shipping channel will continue for five years and its minimum service life will be 100 years.

(1 USD = 5.4686 TRY on Jan. 4)