The opening ceremony of a third bridge linking the European and Asian sides of Istanbul has kicked off. Turkey’s Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar prays during the inauguration of the new Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge over the Bosporus, in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016.
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Turkey will open on Friday a third bridge linking Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus following investment of some United States dollars 3 B by the private sector, Anadolu Agency has reported.
In accordance with information spread by the Turkish authorities, at the ceremony there will be present the president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, inaugurating the monumental structure with a thousand 275 meters length and a breadth of 59.
The toll bridge, spanning 1,408 meters (4,620 feet) over the Bosphorus, features 10 lanes, including two rail lines. The bridge is named after the 16th century Ottoman Sultan Selim the Grim (Yavuz) who conquered swathes of the Middle East in an extraordinary eight year rule and remains a figure of adulation for modern day Turks. “We are celebrating together and we are very proud of it”. The longer of the two pylons is 322 meters tall – only two meters shorter than the Eiffel tower.
All trucks and heavy-duty vehicles will be directed to the bridge to ease traffic on the other bridges, as well as cut congestion and pollution in Istanbul.
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Environmental groups have criticized the destruction of forests to build approach roads to the bridge.
