Skip to main content

More studies for the Great Istanbul Tunnel under the Bosporus

Work has started on a geological condition field study for a proposed 6.5km three-deck road and rail tunnel under the Bosporus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey. Average daily road traffic through the Great Istanbul Tunnel is expected to be 120,000 vehicles and the rail line will move around 75,000 people daily. The tunnel, announced in 2015, will be nearly 19m in diameter and have two road levels and one rail level. It will run between Gayrettepe on the European side and Küçüksu on the Asian side. The ci
March 11, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Work has started on a geological condition field study for a proposed 6.5km three-deck road and rail tunnel under the Bosporus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey.

Average daily road traffic through the Great Istanbul Tunnel is expected to be 120,000 vehicles and the rail line will move around 75,000 people daily.

The tunnel, announced in 2015, will be nearly 19m in diameter and have two road levels and one rail level. It will run between Gayrettepe on the European side and Küçüksu on the Asian side.

The city transportation plan shows the tunnel as an integral part of the strategy to make travel more easy between Istanbul’s three airports - Istanbul Atatürk, Sabiha Gökçen and Istanbul New Airport.

Cost of the project will be around US$3.5 billion and delivered under a build–operate–transfer contract, according to Turkish media.

In December 2016, Istanbul’s 5.4km twin-deck Eurasia Tunnel opened for traffic, connecting the Asian and European side of the Bosporus strait. The tunnel, part of a 14.5km route costing $1.25 billion, carries around 100,000 vehicles a day.

Related Content

  • A new tunnel project for Turkey is a significant move
    December 12, 2012
    The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supplying a finance package worth US$150 million for the new Bosphorus crossing project in Turkey. Running under the Bosphorus at Istanbul, the new tunnel will connect both European and Asian sides of the city. The EBRD’s $150 million loan completes $1.4 billion worth of financing required for the Eurasia Tunnel project, being built under the Bosphorus straits. Other components of the $1.4 billion financing package for this PPP project include a
  • Plans moving forward for Major Turkish tunnel project
    March 16, 2015
    Plans are moving forward in Turkey for the construction of a new tunnel project. This new link will run under the busy Bosporus waterway and will connect Kucuksu on the Anatolian side and Gayrettepe on the European side. Approval for the work has been given by the Istanbul Municipality Council. And the timeline for the project calls for the route to be ready for use in five years time In all the route will pass through 12 districts, so some further approvals will be necessary however. The route will feature
  • Major Europe-Asia bridge connection in Turkey
    July 1, 2014
    The 3rd Bosporus Bridge and the Northern Marmara Motorway will improve transport links between Europe and Asia and cut chronic congestion in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city - Mike Woof reports Work is now well underway on the 3rd Bosporus Bridge and the Northern Marmara Motorway, providing a new link for Turkish city Istanbul and the region as a whole. This enormous bridge and highway project is breaking several records for Turkey in terms of scale, as well as setting a number of international records for e
  • Istanbul to get new underwater tunnel by 2015
    November 8, 2013
    A new underwater tunnel being created in Istanbul, Turkey will dramatically reduce journey times between two sides of the mega city. The €957.34 million Avrasya Tunnel (Eurasia Tunnel) will connect Kazlicesme on the European side to Goztepe in the Anatolian side via a 15 minute car journey which currently takes around 100 minutes. Situated around 106 metres underwater, the Avrasya Tunnel will be the world's sixth biggest tunnel. It will be based on two storeys of two lanes each, and will be used by aroun