Istanbul’s bid to host Turkey’s first ever Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020 moved a step closer as the consortium to build a third bridge over the Bosphorus was selected this week.
The Minister of Transport for Turkey, Binali Yıldırım, announced the Turkish / Italian İçtaş-Asdaldi consortium as the winners of a tender to build the proposed 1,275-meter-long suspension bridge, which is planned to enter service by 2015. The bridge will connect the neighbourhood of Garipçe, in the city's Sarıyer district on the European side, with Poyrazköy, in Beykoz on the Asian side, creating a direct link between the Northern Marmara Highway and the Trans-European Motorway.
Hasan Arat, leader of the Istanbul 2020 bid and a respected Turkish businessman said:
"This story proves that Istanbul continues to invest significantly in transport infrastructure. Each new project adds to the city’s capacity to host the 2020 Games and this announcement represents the latest milestone on our bid journey. In addition to Government funding, businesses in Turkey have provided a large proportion of the $2.5bn needed for the project, which highlights Turkey’s economic strength throughout both the private and public sectors.
"A third bridge will greatly enhance the Games time comfort and ease of travel for all Olympic and Paralympic client groups."
The European and Asian sides of the city are already linked by the spectacular Bosphorus Bridge and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, but the third bridge was put forward in the Istanbul 2020 Application File as a way to redirect everyday traffic and improve the flow of Games related traffic around the centre of the city.
Hasan Arat added:
"The Istanbul 2020 Application File tabled an ambitious but achievable proposal to the Olympic Movement: to create an iconic setting for the Games, connecting Istanbul’s famous landmarks through a plan that showcases the most spectacular features of the historic city. We were so honoured and so proud when Istanbul was voted through to the candidate city stage of the bid process – today’s announcement shows the Olympic Movement that we are serious about delivering on the proposals of the Istanbul 2020 bid."
For more information, please contact the Istanbul 2020 media team: media@instanbul2020.com.tr
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