Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated a huge bridge across the Dardanelles Strait on Friday, the latest in a series of major infrastructure projects he has prioritized during his two decades in power.
Connecting the European with the Asian coast of Turkey, the bridge was built by Turkish and South Korean companies at a cost of 2.5 billion euros. It has the largest main opening – the distance between its two towers – from any other suspension bridge in the world.
Such grandiose projects have been a top priority for Erdogan since the AKP came to power in 2002, including a new Istanbul airport, railway and road tunnels under the Bosphorus and another bridge over them.
“These projects will continue to bring profits to the state for many years to come,” Erdogan said at the inauguration marking the anniversary of the 1915 Ottoman victory over French and British forces in the Dardanelles naval battle in World War I.
“These projects help our country to progress in investments, labor and exports,” he said.
The main opposition CHP (Republican Party) has criticized the Erdogan government for burdening public funds with the cost of the project.
Erdogan said the price for using the bridge by passenger vehicles would be λί 200 ($ 13.50).
Work on the Dardanelles bridge began in March 2017, and employed more than 5,000 people.
The length of its average opening is 2,023 meters (1.25 miles) and is a reference to the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic in 2023.
It is the fourth bridge connecting the European and Asian coasts in Turkey, along with the three built in Istanbul.
Its towers are 318 meters high and the total length of the bridge is 4.6 kilometers, including the access bridges.
Source: Capital
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