An impressive bridge in Turkey broke records when it was unveiled just over two years ago – and is now the world’s longest suspension bridge. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially launched on March 18 2022 the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, an amazing infrastructure filled with symbolism and key features.
Until its opening, Japan was home to the world’s longest suspension bridge – the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, inaugurated in 1998 after its construction lasted for a decade. The main span of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge is 105 feet longer than that of the Japanese infrastructure, as it measures at 6,637 feet.
The bridge is the first fixed crossing over the Dardanelles – also known as the Strait of Gallipoli, an internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey as it is considered one of the borders between Europe and Asia and plays a vital part in linking the Black Sea with the Mediterranean.
The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge is one of the six crossings across the Turkish Straits, and its construction was also meant to help decongestion the other bridges and tunnels in the area.
The bridge isn’t just phenomenally long, with a total length of 15,118 feet, but is also the tallest one in the country.
The height of the bridge’s two towers is 1,096 feet – taller than both the Shard in London and the Varso Tower in Warsaw, Europe’s tallest buildings. The deck of the bridge, which is 147.8 feet wide, comprises six lanes of motorway as well as a walkway in each direction.
The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge was built in just five years, ahead of the deadline set by President Erdogan, who wanted this infrastructure to be completed in time to celebrate the country’s centenary.
The infrastructure cost £2.16billion (€2.5bn) to build, but Turkey estimated it will save £357million (€415m) every year from a reduction of fuel consumption and carbon emissions thanks to the bridge slashing the time of travel between the two sides of Turkey, President Erdogan claimed two years ago. Motorists have to pay a fee to cross the bridge, set at £4.98 (200 Turkish lira).
The bridge is awash with national symbolism, with the length of its central span – 2,023 metres – referring to the year in which Turkey celebrated the centenary of the founding of the Turkish Republic following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
Another measurement of the bridge, the height of its towers in metres (318), is a nod to March 18, the day in which Turkey commemorates soldiers killed during the Gallipoli sea and land battles.
The name itself of the record-breaking infrastructure refers to a World War 1 campaign between Ottoman forces and the navies of both the UK and France fought in the area.
Finally, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge is in red and white, the colours of the Turkish flag.
