Bosphorus Bridge

Bosphorus Bridge

15 Temmuz Şehitler Köprüsü
The Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul spans the Bosphorus strait and connects Europe and Asia
Coordinates41°02′43″N 29°02′04″E / 41.04528°N 29.03444°E / 41.04528; 29.03444
Carries6 lanes of O-1
CrossesBosphorus strait
LocaleIstanbul
Official name15 July Martyrs Bridge
Other name(s)First Bridge
Maintained byGeneral Directorate of Highways
Preceded byFatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge
Characteristics
DesignSuspension bridge
MaterialSteel
Total length1,560 m (5,118 ft)[1]
Width33.40 m (110 ft)[1]
Height165 m (541 ft)[1]
Longest span1,074 m (3,524 ft)[1]
Clearance below64 m (210 ft)[1]
History
DesignerGilbert Roberts
William Brown
Michael Parsons
Engineering design byFreeman Fox & Partners
Enka Construction & Industry
Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company
Hochtief AG
Construction start20 February 1970
Construction end1 June 1973
Opened30 October 1973
Statistics
Daily traffic200,000[2]
Toll15 Turkish Lira (0,43€ as of 26 March 2024)
Location
Map

The Bosphorus Bridge (Turkish: Boğaziçi Köprüsü), known officially as the 15 July Martyrs Bridge (Turkish: 15 Temmuz Şehitler Köprüsü) and colloquially as the First Bridge (Turkish: Birinci Köprü), is the oldest and southernmost of the three suspension bridges spanning the Bosphorus strait (Turkish: Boğaziçi) in Istanbul, Turkey, thus connecting Europe and Asia (alongside the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge). The bridge extends between Ortaköy (in Europe) and Beylerbeyi (in Asia).

It is a gravity-anchored suspension bridge with steel towers and inclined hangers.[1] The aerodynamic deck hangs on steel cables. It is 1,560 m (5,118 ft)[1] long with a deck width of 33.40 m (110 ft).[1] The distance between the towers (main span) is 1,074 m (3,524 ft)[1] and the total height of the towers is 165 m (541 ft).[1] The clearance of the bridge from sea level is 64 m (210 ft).[1]

Upon its completion in 1973, the Bosphorus Bridge had the fourth-longest suspension bridge span in the world, and the longest outside the United States (only the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge and Mackinac Bridge had a longer span in 1973).[3][4] The Bosphorus Bridge remained the longest suspension bridge in Europe until the completion of the Humber Bridge in 1981, and the longest suspension bridge in Asia until the completion of the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (Second Bosphorus Bridge) in 1988 (which was surpassed by the Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge in 1989). Currently, the Bosphorus Bridge has the 40th-longest suspension bridge span in the world.

After a group of soldiers took control and partially closed off the bridge during the military coup d'état attempt on 15 July 2016, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım proclaimed on 25 July 2016 the decision of the Cabinet of Turkey that the bridge will be formally renamed as the 15 Temmuz Şehitler Köprüsü (July 15th Martyrs Bridge) in memory of those killed while resisting the attempted coup.[5][6][7]

The Bosphorus Bridge is famous for its important transport routes, connecting parts of Europe to Turkey.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k General Directorate of Highways: Project information about the 15 July Martyrs Bridge Archived 2012-06-09 at the Wayback Machine (Turkish)
  2. ^ Nebel, Bernd. "BRÜCKEN - Architektur, Technik, Geschichte". www.bernd-nebel.de. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  3. ^ "Bosphorus Bridge, TURKEY". g20.org.tr. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  4. ^ "The Story of the First Bosphorus Bridge – short film and talk". t-vine.com. 13 May 2016. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  5. ^ "Bosphorus Bridge renamed July 15 Martyrs' Bridge". TRT World. 25 July 2016. Archived from the original on 26 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Turkey to rename Istanbul's Bosphorus bridge after failed coup victims: PM". Hürriyet Daily News. 26 July 2016. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  7. ^ "Turkey renames Bosphorus bridge after coup victims". New Europe. 26 July 2016. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.