President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to further expanding Türkiye’s transportation infrastructure, spearheaded by the road network.
“We will continue our initiatives and investments in transportation hereafter. By 2053, we aim to expand our divided road network to over 38,000 kilometers and our highway network to over 8,300 kilometers,” Erdoğan told the International Road Federation (IRF) 2024 World Congress.
In his video message, Erdoğan stressed the significance of roads in advancing multiple sectors.
“In our political philosophy, roads represent civilization. They mean transportation, industry, production, tourism, trade, security, development and integration with the world,” the president said.
“With this vision, we have achieved significant milestones, bringing our country to an ambitious level in transportation and infrastructure.”
He listed major infrastructure projects, including the Eurasia Tunnel, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, describing them as sources of national pride.
These projects, along with key highways like the Black Sea Coastal Road, the Northern Marmara Highway and the Istanbul-Izmir Highway, have strengthened economic and logistical ties between cities, Erdoğan noted.
Major regional link
Türkiye is currently involved in the Development Road Project, a multibillion-dollar regional transportation project designed to ease the movement of goods from Asia to Europe.
Unveiled last year, the project is designed to facilitate the transport of goods from the Gulf to Europe via the Grand Faw Port in Basra in southern Iraq. The port would be linked to Türkiye and subsequently to Europe through an extensive network of railways and highways.
The project, set for completion by 2030, includes the construction of approximately 1,200 kilometers of highways and railways from Grand Faw Port to Türkiye, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said Tuesday.
“The Development Road Project will provide uninterrupted transportation to every country in Europe,” Uraloğlu told the IRF 2024 World Congress.
Uraloğlu emphasized what he said was Türkiye’s vital role in global transportation routes. He pointed out its strategic location at the intersection of continents and ancient trade routes like the Silk and Spice Roads.
“Türkiye is not only a natural bridge on the east-west corridor between Asia and Europe, but also at the center of the corridor stretching from the Caucasus and Central Asia to Africa,” he noted.
He also went on to mention several major infrastructure projects that Türkiye has completed, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway, Eurasia Tunnel, Marmaray, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and the Northern Marmara Highway.
Uraloğlu also emphasized that Türkiye’s transportation policies are constantly being updated to reflect global and regional conditions.
Türkiye’s road network now spans 68,494 kilometers, with 29,590 kilometers of divided roads. Since 2002, the country’s highway network has grown from 1,714 kilometers to 3,796 kilometers.
Looking ahead, Uraloğlu outlined goals for expanding Türkiye’s railway network from 13,919 kilometers in 2023 to 17,287 kilometers by 2028, and to 28,600 kilometers by 2053.
Additionally, the number of logistics centers is projected to grow to 28, improving connections between ports, industrial zones, and railways, he added.
On electric vehicles, Uraloğlu said the government is developing the necessary technical and administrative infrastructure to promote the widespread use of battery-powered cars in Türkiye.
In the aviation sector, he pointed to the fact that Türkiye has increased the number of airports to 58, compared to just 26 back in 2002.
