Taking it’s title as the world’s longest mid-span and highest tower suspension bridge, the 1915Çanakkale Bridge was officially opened in a ceremony attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 18 March 2022. The bridge was completed 18 months ahead of schedule.

Tendered by the Turkish Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, General Directorate of Motorways on 2017, financed and constructed by the Turkish-Korean joint venture partners—DL E&C, Limak, SK ecoplant, and Yapı Merkezi—the €2.5-billion 1915Çanakkale Bridge and Motorway will enable the crossing between Asia and Europe continents in six minutes through the Çanakkale Strait (Dardanelles).

The 1915Çanakkale Bridge and Motorway Project comprises 89 km of motorway including the 1915Çanakkale Bridge and 12 km of access roads stretching between Malkara and Çanakkale. The Project constitutes a segment of the 324-km-long Kınalı-Tekirdağ-Çanakkale-Savaştepe Motorway Project.

It will also provide a new heavy transit alternative to the Istanbul Strait passage, meaning faster and more cost-effective freight transport, as well as strengthened economic, political, tourism and social bonds for the region.

At a total bridge length of 4,608 meters, a central span of 2,023 meters and a total bridge tower height of 318 meters (334 meters the top point), the 1915Çanakkale Bridge is the longest mid-span and highest tower suspension bridge in the world. The Bridge connects Gelibolu on the European side, with Lapseki on the Asian side. The bridge is named as 1915Çanakkale in honor and remembrance of the Çanakkale Battle that took place between Ottoman and Allied forces during World War I.

In Turkey, 18 March is celebrated as Canakkale Victory and Martyr’s Day, marking the Ottoman defeat of Allied battleships which tried to take control of the Dardanelles, shelling forts along both the Asian and European shores of the Dardanelles in Canakkale during the Gallipoli campaign.

1915Çanakkale Bridge stats. 177,000 tons of steel was used on the bridge, including the reinforcement. With this amount of steel, approximately 128,000 passenger vehicles can be produced.

227,000 cubic meters of concrete used in concrete foundations and anchor blocks.

A9-meter aerodynamic air gap between the commuting directions of the bridge helps to minimize the wind effect.

The tower foundations are settled on the sea floor at a depth of 45 meters on the Asian side and at a depth of 37 meters on the European side. Tower foundations, also called caissons, are approximately the size of a football field, with dimensions of 84 m x 73 m.

The main cable of the bridge consists of 144 wire strands in the main span and of 148 wire strands in the side spans, with each consisting of 127 high-strength steel wires. If the wires were added end to end, the total length would be 162,000 km—equal to 4 times the circumference of the Earth.

During the placement of the upper cross beam of the towers, the 155-ton piece was lifted to 318 meters, making it a world record-breaking heavy lifting operation, considering the weight and height parameters.

Symbols of 1915Çanakkale Bridge. The red and white color of the towers represents the Turkish glorious flag; the middle span of 2023 meters between the two towers represents the 100th Anniversary of the Republic of Turkey; and the tower height of 318-meters represents “18th March 1915” Çanakkale Victory.

The cannonball replicas which will be placed on the towers reflect the 215 kg cannonball carried by Corporal Seyit and demonstrate the independence of the Turkish Nation. (The tower height is 334 meters with the cannonballs, which is the world’s tallest among suspension bridges.) The ribbed pattern of classical Turkish architecture has been applied on the tie beams of the bridge, and a special design inspired by the Çanakkale Martyrs Monument has been applied on the viaduct piers.

Posted on 22 March 2022 in Infrastructure, Market Background | Permalink | Comments (0)

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