Consortium wins third Bosphorus bridge deal

A consortium formed by ICTAS of Turkey and the Italian firm Astaldi has won a tender to build a third suspension bridge over Istanbul’s Bosphorus. Despite criticism from planners and environmentalists, the 1.3km structure, the longest over the strait, has been given the go-ahead by Turkey’s Transport Minister, Binari Yildirim. A joint venture of local company IC Içtas Insaat and Italian Astaldi has won the tender for the project, and Minister Yildirim is reported as saying the bridge would be built in three
December 3, 2012 Read time: 2 mins

A consortium formed by ICTAS of Turkey and the Italian firm Astaldi has won a tender to build a third suspension bridge over Istanbul’s Bosphorus.

Despite criticism from planners and environmentalists, the 1.3km structure, the longest over the strait, has been given the go-ahead by Turkey’s Transport Minister, Binari Yildirim.

A joint venture of local company 3015 IC Içtas Insaat and Italian 1324 Astaldi has won the tender for the project, and Minister Yildirim is reported as saying the bridge would be built in three years at an anticipated cost of €2 billion (US$1.55 billion).

The project is designed to relieve congestion in Istanbul, a city of over 13 million people, and the plan is for trucks to use the bridge instead of clogging up roads elsewhere. Critics say it will simply attract more traffic, and will damage the landscape.

The Gebze-Orhangazi-Izmir Highway project, which is planned to connect three industrial regions, will reduce the traffic between Gebze, near Istanbul, and the Aegean city of Izmir by 30%, says the highways authority.

The bridge is part of the Northern Marmara highway project.

It is also reported that French bridge designer Michel Virlogeux’s design for the third Bosphorus bridge could be modelled on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Consortium wins St Petersburg bypass contract
    February 27, 2012
    A civil engineering tender worth U$4.73 billion for work in Saint Petersburg, Russia, has been awarded to a consortium of Russian, Italian and Turkish companies.
    Read More
  • Golden route to success
    July 20, 2012
    Built in 1937 and still the ninth longest suspension bridge in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge across San Francisco Bay remains in fine shape despite its age - Andrew Bardin Williams writes The Golden Gate Bridge turned 75 years old on May 27 and continues to play a key role in the transportation, engineering, construction and ITS communities. The structure has played an important historical role, an engineering success that boosted the economy of the region. And it also led the way as the first major pub
    Read More
  • Storstrom Bridge to be Denmark’s third longest
    March 8, 2018
    Form and functionality come together in Denmark’s latest Storstrom Bridge design. David Arminas reports. An Italian joint venture recently won the construction contract for what will be one of Denmark’s longest bridges, the replacement 4km-long road and rail Storstrom Bridge. The Danish Road Directorate - Vejdirektoratet - awarded the work to a joint venture of Condotte and Grandi Lavori Fincosit along with bridge design consultant Seteco Ingegneria as a subcontractor. Estimated cost is around €550 milli
    Read More
  • Landmark bridge for Italy?
    August 9, 2023
    The news that the Italian Government is once again considering building a bridge spanning the Messina Strait is of major significance for the construction sector, as well as for the country.
    Read More

Highlighted Content