Firms invited to bid for Istanbul tunnel project


Three firms were invited to the opening of financial bids for the preparation and engineering services of the three-level Big Istanbul Tunnel Project with offers from İdom, Tecnimont and Yüksel Project deemed technically sufficient in the said bidding, which will be announced on Aug. 10.

As part of last year's preparation and engineering services bidding for the three-level Big Istanbul Tunnel Project, the first step in a project prepared by the Transportation, Maritime and Communication Ministry's directorate general of infrastructure investments has been deemed technically sufficient. İdom, Tecnimont and Yüksel Project were said to be invited to the opening of the financial offers on Aug. 10.

A total of TL 7.5 million ($2.52 million) has been allocated for the preparation and engineering services of the mega project estimated to cost a total TL 35 million. Data will be collected through ground-drilling and subsea drilling operations. Once the auction process is complete, the engineering projects are expected to be completed within one year.

The tunnel, which will run under the Bosporus Strait, will consist of a metro line as well as a dual motorway. The two-lane railway will run in both directions through the middle of the tunnel and a dual highway will enable rubber-wheel vehicles to travel on the highway lanes below and above the railway.

The first of its kind in both size and concept, the first stage of this project will consist of the Fast Metro Tunnel Project, which will start in Bakırköy-İncirli at the E-5 axis on Istanbul's European side and pass through the Bosporus Strait, ending in Söğütlüçeşme on the Asian side.

The project's second stage will consist of a dual highway in each direction, beginning at the Hasdal intersection located on the TEM highway axis on the European side and connecting at the Çamlık intersection on the Asian side.

Slated to be completed within five years after starting with the build-operate-transfer model, the tunnel will be integrated to the TEM, E-5 and North Marmara highways through nine subway lines. When the project is put into service, it will take 40 minutes to go from İncirli on Istanbul's European side to Söğütlüçeşme on the Asian side via a 31-kilometer, high-speed subway line consisting of 14 stations.

It will also take 14 minutes to reach the Çamlık intersection on the Anatolian side from the Hasdal intersection on the European side. Nearly 6.5 million passengers are expected to use the line on a daily basis.