The Great Istanbul Tunnel (Turkish: Büyük İstanbul Tüneli) is an under-construction multi-use highway and railway undersea tunnelinIstanbul, Turkey to cross the Bosphorus strait. 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]
| 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] |
| Opened | 2028[2] |
| Owner | Ministry of Transportation, Maritime and Communication |
| Traffic | Road-rail |
| Technical | |
| Length | 6.5 km (4.0 mi) |
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]
The RV Fugro Scout, a Singapore-flagged research/survey vessel of 83 m (272 ft) length and 20 m (66 ft) beam,[7] started soil survey works in Bosphorus on 28 July 2017 in order to determine the exact tunnel route.[8] Construction began in 2018, and was expected to be completed by 2023.[1] Due to some issues in land acquisition, the project is now expected to be completed by 2028.[2]
41°03′N 29°03′E / 41.050°N 29.050°E / 41.050; 29.050
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