Astaldi-led JV for Golden Horn bridge

A joint venture led by Italy's Astaldi Group has won the € 147 million (US$ 189 million) contract to construct Turkey's Golden Horn, or Hãlic Bridge.

The Hãlic Bridge will span the European bank of the Bosporus, called the Golden Horn, linking Top.api to Galata. The route will extend for about a kilometre, allowing passage for Istanbul's new Un.apani-Yeni.api underground rail line.

The new structure will include construction of a 387 m-long steel cable-stayed bridge, plus a 120 m-long swing bridge to let vessels through. Construction is expected to start in early 2009, Astaldi said in a statement.

Astaldi has 51% of the project and its local partner is Gulermak, part of the Astaldi-led consortium currently constructing the € 751 million (US$ 968 million) Kadikoy-Kartal underground line in Istanbul.

In a statement on its website Astaldi's chief executive, Giuseppe Cafiero, said, "The new project further confirms the effectiveness of Astaldi's foreign commercial policy, which targets areas where the group has already solid experience."