Work on the Gebze – İzmir Motorway linking Istanbul to Izmir, which began in 2010, was completed almost two months ahead of schedule in August 2019. Gebze – İzmir Motorway
The motorway linking the Marmara region to the Aegean regions, which began in 2010, is one of the country’s largest infrastructure projects. While the initial opening date was planned for October, yet it was open to the public from August 4, 2019, just in time for the Bayram festivities. Transport Minister Cahit Turhan said that thanks to this motorway, it would be possible to connect Istanbul to Izmir in 3.5 hours, as opposed to 9 hours previously.
The Istanbul-Bursa-Izmir highway project has a total length of 426 kilometres, including 384 kilometres of highway and 42 kilometres of the access road. According to the minister, the Osmangazi Bridge, which has been active since 2016, has also been a key element in this timesaving. It reduces travel time by an hour and a half. Gebze – İzmir Motorway
“The Istanbul-Bursa-Izmir highway is one of the biggest projects in Turkey’s recent history,” said Cahit Turhan. He added: “This project, which will integrate Istanbul and İzmir, makes Bursa a crossroads. “Indeed, the cities served by this new section will benefit from significant economic spin-offs. On average, 5,000 people have found employment on the construction site, and the government promises 1,000 additional jobs in maintenance and operation services. Gebze – İzmir Motorway
The estimated $7 billion costs of the project have been paid for by the company that will operate the Gebze – İzmir Motorway indefinitely. Cahit Turhan assures that no public funds have been used for construction, but that 2.5 billion has been allocated by the public authorities for expropriation. “This will make a significant economic contribution to the road users and will save time and fuel and provide important opportunities and facilities, especially for the transport of industrial and agricultural products in Turkey and abroad on this road,” he welcomed. Gebze – İzmir Motorway
However, while drivers will certainly save fuel, it should be noted that the use of the highway will be charged in addition to the price of the bridge, which currently costs 103 TL per passage.
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Gebze – İzmir Motorway
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