Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu assessed the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge's contributions to transport, the economy and the environment on the 10th anniversary of its opening.
Uraloğlu said the bridge, which opened on August 26, 2016, had significantly eased Istanbul's traffic and provided total savings of 138 billion lira over 10 years, including 134 billion lira in time savings and 4 billion lira in fuel savings. Uraloğlu also announced that 180,000 tons of carbon emissions had been prevented.
It facilitates access to Istanbul Airport
Uraloğlu said the bridge provides fast and safe access to Istanbul Airport in northern Istanbul. He noted that the bridge was built using modern design, an aesthetic structure and advanced engineering techniques, adding that it serves heavy and continuous traffic flows.
Built as part of the Northern Marmara Motorway Project
The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge was built as part of the Northern Marmara Motorway Project at the Black Sea entrance to the Bosporus in Istanbul. The bridge lies between Garipçe in the Sarıyer district on the European side and the Poyrazköy settlement in the Beykoz district on the Asian side.
Local ground conditions, faulting, historical earthquakes and other factors were taken into account in the bridge's design. While the effects of earthquakes were determined on the basis of these data, the design was prepared in line with the principles set out in national and international specifications.
Technical features of the bridge
The main span of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge is 1,408 meters, while its total length, including the side spans, is 2,164 meters. The bridge, which combines advanced technology and expertise, is 59 meters wide.
The bridge was designed to accommodate railway traffic, and its towers reach a height of 330 meters.
