Work on three-story Istanbul tunnel project set to start

ISTANBUL

The company that previously won the tender for the preparation, engineering and consultancy services of the Three-Story Grand Istanbul Tunnel Project, Yüksel Project International, will soon start work on the project, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on May 25.

The contract for the launching of the project has reportedly been signed by Yüksel Project International and the Transport Ministry’s Directorate-General of Infrastructure Investments, after the former placed the highest bid in the tender in April. 

The company will start by conducting drilling operations in the land and the sub-sea in order to determine soil/base properties. The engineering leg of the project is planned to be completed within one year. 

The three-level subsea tunnel under Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait will connect the city’s two sides with one railway and two highways. Trains will pass through a tube in the middle, while tubes below and above will be for vehicular transit. 

One part of the planned 6.5-kilometer tunnel will connect a high speed subway system from the İncirli neighborhood on the European side to the Söğütlüçeşme neighborhood on the Asian side. The second part will connect a two-lane land route between Hasdal on the European side and Çamlık on the Asian side. 

The tunnel will be integrated into nine subway lines, the TEM Motorway, the E-5 Motorway and the Northern Marmara Motorway, according to officials. 

Around 6.5 million passengers are expected to use the tunnel on a daily basis once it is completed in the next five years. 

Passengers will be able to reach Söğütlüçeşme from İncirli in 40 minutes. The travel time between Hasdal and Çamlık will be reduced to 14 minutes. 

The tunnel will be the largest in the world in terms of size and capacity.

The project was launched in 2015 by then-Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. 

Four companies presented technical and financial offers in April in the tender for project and engineering services of the $3.5 billion worth megaproject. Yüksel Project International placed the highest bid and thus won the tender.