An record breaking bridge in Turkey was unvieled just over two years ago- it is now the world’s longest suspension bridge.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Turkey, officially opened the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge on March 18, 2022.
The vast infrastructure is filled with symbolism and key features.
Before its opening, Japan was home to the world’s longest suspension bridge – the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, which opened in 1998 after a decade long construction.
The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge is 105 feet longer than the Japanese infrastructure, as it measures at 6,637 feet.
The bridge isn’t just extremely long, with a length of 15,118ft, it is also the tallest one in the country.
The height of the bridge’s two towers is 1,096ft- overtaking both of Europe’s tallest buildings (The Shard and the Varso Tower).
The deck is 147.8ft wide, with six lanes of motorway and a walkway in each direction.
Construction was completed in just five years, before the original deadline set by President Erdogan, he asked for it to be completed in time for the country’s centenery celebrations.
The bridge cost an eye-watering £2.16billion to build, but Turkey estimated it will save £357million per year from a reduction of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions as the bridge reduces the time of travel between the two sides of Turkey.
Motorists pay a fee of £4.98 to cross the bridge.
The central span – 2,023 – is adorned with symbolism referencing the year that Turkey celebrated the centenary of the establishment of the Turkish Republic, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
Another symbolic measurement of the bridge includes the height of its towers, they stand at 318m, a nod to March 18th, the day in which Turkey commemorates the troops who lost their lives in the Gallipoli sea and land battles.
The record-breaking infrastructure’s name refers to a WWI campaign between Ottoman forces and the navies of both the UK and France fought in the area.
Its biggest example of symbolism is the fact it is red and white, the colours of the Turkish flag.
