Istanbul's third bridge to save TL 3B in losses annually

The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, whose construction was completed on March 6, is expected to be used by at least 110 million vehicles a year. The bridge will be opened to traffic in August to alleviate the traffic volume on the existing two Bosporus bridges and will help to ensure safe traffic flow in the city.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), the parliamentary Commission for Public Works, City Planning, Transportation and Tourism spokesman and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Erzurum deputy, Mustafa Ilıcalı, said that private, commercial and heavy vehicles will use the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and that the existing bridges over the Bosporus are currently overloaded. He said that people mostly ignore the two-lane rail system on the bridge, but it will add importance to the bridge. He said a new car joins the traffic every day and demand continues to grow, adding: "In the next decade, the three bridges over the Bosporus will serve without pushing their capacity.

The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, which has a 300,000-vehicle-per-day capacity, is expected to be used by at least 110 million vehicles a year. However, this prediction is made according to normal traffic flow; the number of vehicles using the bridge might increase in accordance with the traffic volume." Ilıcalı claimed that local traffic will also be alleviated as the traffic volume on the bridges decreases. "According to a report released by the General Directorate of Highways, the third bridge will compensate TL 3 billion ($1.03 billion) in annual losses that are caused by excessive gas consumption is traffic jams on the other Bosporus bridges and workforce loss as the two bridges try to serve two-and-a-half times more vehicles than their capacities," he said. He described the new bridge as having perfect technical features and aesthetics and claimed that its level of technology and aesthetic cannot be found in any other bridge that carries heavy weight.