Turkey unveils route for third Bosphorus bridge

The Turkish government has unveiled its preferred route for a third bridge across the Istanbul Strait, or Bosphorus.

The bridge will connect with Garipce on the European side of the city, and Poyraz on the Asian side.

The third bridge will be a 1.27 km-long suspension bridge on the northern part of the strait, close to Black Sea.

Announcing the route, Turkey's Transportation Minister, Binali Yildirim, said the third bridge, which will be a part of the Northern Marmara Highway, is expected to cost about US$ 6 billion, including all associated work.

The minister said the route had been chosen to minimise any environmental affects to the area.

The Northern Marmara Highway is part of the Black Sea Coastal Highway, which will eventually ring the whole of the Black Sea.

Istanbul's First Bosphorus Bridge, the Bosphorus (Bogazici) Bridge, is a 1.51 km-long gravity anchored suspension bridge connecting Ortakoy on the European side and Beylerbeyi on the Asian. It was constructed in 1973.

The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, or Second Bosphorus Bridge, is also 1.51 km-long. Named after the 15th century Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, it is a suspension bridge that connects Hisarustu on the European side and Kavacık on the Asian side of the strait.

It was completed in 1988.