As Istanbul grapples with the looming threat of a potential high-magnitude earthquake, the local authorities, in addition to the government’s initiatives, are taking steps to raise preparedness in the face of the possible tremors experts had often warned of by springing into action and initiating projects to make the city "earthquake resilient."
In line with this, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) recently announced that Galata Bridge – the city’s iconic bridge connecting Karaköy and Eminönü, which also has a tram line passing across it – will undergo maintenance works in the two phases, both set to last 20 days.
Within the scope of the repairs, the first phase has already been set in motion, with Karaköy-Eminönü traffic on the bridge suspended over the weekend.
This initial stage of maintenance is slated to last for approximately 20 days. In the subsequent phase, the opposite route will be sealed off, and commuters will be rerouted through alternative paths to ensure unobstructed traffic flow.
The commencement of the maintenance and repair works that were scheduled to commence on Aug. 13, has, however, inadvertently triggered traffic congestion and a cascade of long vehicle lines in the vicinity, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported Sunday.
On the other side, there was no disruption in vehicular and pedestrian traffic in the opposite direction toward Karaköy, while the tram line remains operational in both directions.
Driver Hakan Kesik noted that they have been negatively affected by the traffic arising from maintenance work and said: "Wishing everyone well. This was a route I used very often. We will be impacted by the traffic. I just noticed the warning signs. May God help everyone."
Taxi driver Bilal Ergun explained that the traffic will negatively impact taxi drivers and said: "Traffic will affect us quite a bit. We are stuck in traffic day and night. Now the traffic will be more congested; but in the end, it will be better."
"They closed this place today, we didn't know. We took a detour, this is a disgrace. We will endure this traffic for another 20 days," another driver Erol Şanlıer said.
