The significance of Türkiye's new ‘1915 Canakkale Bridge’

Türkiye is set to inaugurate the landmark 1915 Canakkale Bridge, a suspension bridge that straddles the Dardanelles strait in the country’s northwest.

Also known as the Dardanelles Bridge, it will be unveiled at an official opening ceremony on March 18, marking the 107th anniversary of the Canakkale Naval Victory.

Travelling between the European and Anatolian sides of Canakkale takes roughly 30 minutes via a ferry which is sometimes affected by storms, in addition to hours of waiting in long lines during holiday seasons.

The new bridge shortens the journey between Europe and Asia to just six minutes. 

A strategic addition

Construction on the bridge began in March 2018 and was completed recently, with a total cost of $3.41 billion.

The bridge connects with a system of highways ringed around the Marmara Sea, home to nearly one-third of Türkiye's population and a region that hosts major industrial and commercial hubs.

Officials say the project will ease ferry traffic, especially during public holidays, as it creates an alternative route for transportation from the provinces of Istanbul and Thrace to the Marmara and Aegean regions.

In addition to reducing the travel time, the bridge links important ports in the Marmara and Aegean regions to the country's transportation network.

The megaproject is the country’s fourth bridge and the fifth crossing to connect Europe and Asia after the 15 July Martyrs Bridge, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Marmaray Rail Tunnel and the Eurasia Tunnel. 

Why March 18?

The date marks the Canakkale Victory and Martyrs’ Day. It is a poignant day marking the cataclysmic, months-long violence of the Gallipoli Campaign, when Ottoman forces suffered huge losses defending Turkish shores in the northern Canakkale province from the invading Allies in WWI.

Britain and France suffered an unexpected defeat on that day while trying to cross the Gallipoli Strait with warships to occupy Istanbul.

It is one of Türkiye’s most important victories, commemorated with the country honouring its fallen soldiers.

The March 18 1915 victory gave the country a massive morale boost that later helped it wage a war of independence and eventually form a republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire in 1923.

READ MORE: Türkiye: a veteran nation of Gallipoli

Design and symbolic figures

Canakkale Bridge’s shape symbolises artillery shells as a tribute to the famed World War I Battle of Gallipoli. Its spires tower 318 metres high.

The 2,023-metre span symbolises the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye’s foundation.

The total length of the bridge is 3,563 metres. Together with its approach, the length reaches 4,608 metres, making it the longest bridge of any kind in Türkiye.  

It’s the sixth tallest bridge in the world, surpassing the Sutong Bridge in China and the Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong.

The bridge deck carries six lanes, three in each direction, with two walkways on each side for maintenance. The deck of the bridge is 72.8 metres high and has a total width of 45.06 metres.

Engineers have kept the configuration of the bridge to represent symbolic values.

According to Adil Karaismailoglu, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, the number 1915 in the name of the bridge and the height of the bridge at 318 metres, referring to the 18th day of the 3rd month, symbolises the Canakkale Naval Victory of March 18, 1915.

The bridge has been painted red and white to represent the Turkish flag.

READ MORE: 'Canakkale Bridge, dream of centuries, longest of its kind’ - Erdogan