New Istanbul bridge to link Europe, Asia to open Friday
A third bridge linking the European and Asian continents in Istanbul will open on Friday during a ceremony that will be attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Anadolu Agency reported.
The Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge, built above the Bosphorus, was named after 16th century Ottoman Sultan Selim I, whose rule marked the expansion of the burgeoning world power in the Middle East.
The Turkish officials expect that the “longest suspension bridge to have a railway system” in the world will save $1.75 billion annually in terms of time loss and energy costs.
The bridge is also expected to provide a solution to the city's air pollution as well as traffic congestion, the officials claimed.
The government has guaranteed to the operators that 135,000 automobiles will use the bridge each day. The fee for automobiles going from the European to the Asian side will be 9.90 Turkish lira ($3.4).
There will be no charge for passage from the Asian to the European side.
The bridge is 1.4 kilometer long (0.9 mile) and 59 meters wide and boasts eight road lanes as well as two rail tracks.
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