The Taksim Cumhuriyet (Republic) Underpass was opened to traffic Friday morning at 09:00, thereby directing all traffic along Tarlabaşı Boulevard and Cumhuriyet Street underground. The underpass is part of an ongoing pedestrianization project for Istanbul's Taksim Square. With the completion of the underpass, the pedestrianized area located between the hotel district and İstiklal Avenue is now uninterrupted. The results of the project thus far have secured a 98,000 square meter area spanning from the Republic Memorial, the metro entrance and Gezi Park. The underpass is stated to be 750-meters long leading from Tarlabaşı to Harbiye.

This is a translation of an article originally written by Mustafa Kaya.