Turkey opens the Osman Gazi Bridge, the fourth longest in the world at 2.682 meters, reducing travel time from 8 to 4 hours.

Situated between two continents, Asia and Europe, Turkey is a unique transcontinental nation. It is the third most populous country in Europe, behind only Russia and Germany. The Turkish economy is diversified, covering sectors such as agriculture, industry and services. Furthermore, Turkey excels in the field of engineering, being the home of Osman Gazi Bridge. This impressive structure is the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world and the second longest in Europe, measuring 2.682 meters in length.

Osman Gazi Bridge is 2.682m long

A The fourth largest bridge in the world, Osman Gazi, is on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, also known as the Sea of ​​Marmara. It is a sea that separates the Black Sea from the Aegean Sea, thus separating the Asian part of Turkey from its European part.

It is a suspension bridge that crosses the Gulf of Smith at its narrowest point: 2620 meters. This incredible work connects the Turkish city of Gebze with the province of Yalova and carries the O5 highway across the Gulf.

The fourth longest bridge in the world was opened on July 1, 2016 and became the longest suspension bridge in Turkey and the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world in terms of the length of its central span, which is 150 m.

The bridge is not only 2.682 m long, but also 36 m high and has 252 m towers. Osman Gazi has six lanes three in each direction and, together with the Gebze and Izmir highway, connects the cities of Istanbul and Izmir.

Bridge reduces distance from cities from 8 to 4 hours

Many years ago the president of Türkiye, Recep Tair Erdogan, and Yildirim group, a family-owned conglomerate of mining and shipping companies, advocate the expansion of the country's airport and road facilities in order to achieve better connectivity between provinces.

In April 2009, an international competition was held for the construction and operation of the bridge in a joint venture formed by five Turkish companies and an Italian construction company. The Osman Gazi Bridge was part of an even larger project, a 409 km road complex between Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, and Izmir, the third most populous in the country.

With construction From the bridge the distance between these two cities was reduced by approximately 140 km, bypassing the extensive route around Smith's Gulf.

The aim of the construction was to reduce travel time between two cities from 8 to 4 hours. It was initially planned that two high-speed rail lanes would run through the center of the bridge, but this idea was abandoned in favor of creating a fourth lane in both directions.

Challenges in building the fourth largest bridge in the world

The fourth largest bridge in the world was made possible by a highway privatization program that has already invested 7,3 billion dollars in road repairs and highway construction in the country. In 2010, a contract was signed for the construction of the project, but it was only on March 30, 2013 that the cornerstone of the bridge was laid for the beginning of the works. works.

The construction of the Osman Gazi bridge lasted 39 months and involved the dedication of more than 8.000 workers, including engineers and specialists from different areas. The pillars and structures that support the bridge heads are made of concrete and the pipes are made of steel. 85.000 tons of steel and 125.000 m³ of concrete were consumed.