Great Istanbul Tunnel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Great Istanbul Tunnel | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Great Istanbul Tunnel | |
| Overview | |
| Official name | Büyük İstanbul Tüneli |
| Location | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Status | Under construction |
| Start | Gayrettepe, Şişli, Istanbul |
| End | Küçüksu, Beykoz, Istanbul |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | 2018[1] |
| Opens | 2028[2] |
| Owner | Ministry of Transportation, Maritime and Communication |
| Traffic | Road-rail |
| Technical | |
| Length | 6.5 km (4.0 mi) |
The Great Istanbul Tunnel (Turkish: Büyük İstanbul Tüneli) is an under-construction multi-use highway and railway undersea tunnel in Istanbul, Turkey to cross the Bosphorus strait connecting the Europe side and Asia side. It will be the third and the longest tunnel crossing the Bosphorus strait, at a length of 6.5 km, surpassing the Eurasia Tunnel at 5.4 km and the Marmaray Tunnel at 13.5 km.[1]
The project was officially announced by Prime minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on 27 February 2015.[3][4] The tunnel, 6.5 km (4.0 mi) in length and 18.80 m (61.7 ft) in diameter, will consist of three levels, two levels for road traffic and one level for metro lines. It will be 110 m (360 ft) under the sea level.[5] Situated between Gayrettepe on the European side and Küçüksu on the Asian side,[5] it will integrate the highways between the three airports of the city, Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Istanbul Airport, and the nine metro lines of the Istanbul Metro.[4] The cost of the project will amount to US$3.5 billion. The financing of the construction will be on the build–operate–transfer basis.[6]
