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Under the new framework, the bridges, highways and ring roads will not be privatized as a single package but may be offered either together or separately.
A presidential decree published in the Official Gazette on Sept. 5 expanded the privatization program covering the Bosphorus (15 July Martyrs) Bridge and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, as well as four highways, to include the Nigde-Pozanti Motorway, the Gaziantep Ring Motorway and the Caglayan Junction-Yenisehir Junction section of the Bursa Ring Road.
Under a 2010 decision, the bridges and highways were planned to be privatized as a single package through the transfer of operating rights for a period of 25 years from the date of physical handover.
The latest presidential decision introduced three key changes. The bridges and highways may now be privatized either as a whole or in separate groups, while the operating period has been extended to 30 years.
In a written statement on the decision, the Privatization Administration (OİB) emphasized that efforts concerning the highways and bridges operated by the General Directorate of Highways and included in the privatization portfolio do not involve the sale of public assets.
The administration said the model is based on transferring operating rights for a specified period while ownership remains with the state.
