Transportation, Maritime and Communication Minister Feridun Bilgin announced that the tendering process for the Çanakkale Strait Bridge, which will be the longest suspension bridge in the world, will start in the middle of this year.

Speaking to the Anadolu Agency, Bilgin announced that they will apply to the Development Ministry for the decision of the High Planning Commission (YPK) for the Çanakkale Strait Crossing Project. Çanakkale province, located in the northwest of the country, is separated by the Dardanelles connecting the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea.

Reiterating that the 352-kilometer Kınalı-Tekirdağ-Çanakkale-Savaştepe Highway is included in the targets for 2023, Bilgin added that the project will be a build-operate-transfer system. He announced that the bridge will be built between Gelibolu and Lapseki and will be 3,623 meters long. "With a center span longer than 2,000 meters, the bridge will be the longest suspension bridge in the world," Bilgin said. He also said that the bridge will have 2x3 lanes and will also have train tracks.

Bilgin said that after the completion of the feasibility and Environmental Impact Evaluation Report for the bridge, they will apply to the Development Ministry for a YPK decision.

The highway project, including the Çanakkale Strait Bridge, is another highway that will connect Europe and Asia. After the completion of the project, Balıkesir and Çanakkale will be connected by a highway, which will then reach over the Çanakkale Bridge to Tekirdağ, then to the Kapıkule border gate. A ring will be formed in the Marmara region with the completion of the highway. The project aims to ease Istanbul's traffic, lower transportation costs and transportation to the Aegean region can take place through Çanakkale province.