İzmit Bay Bridge

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This article or section contains information about a planned or proposed future bridge.
It may contain speculative information; the content may change as the construction or completion of the bridge approaches.

The İzmit Bay Bridge is a planned suspension bridge located at the eastern end of the Sea of Marmara, close to Izmit and approximately 50 kilometers from Istanbul, Turkey. As of 2007 it will be the second largest suspension bridge in the world by length of central span.

[edit] Design

The $1 billion bridge, which will be privately financed, will connect Istanbul with the southeastern coast of the Sea of Marmara, thus significantly reducing the travel time between the city and other destinations in western, southwestern and southern Turkey. The bridge and connecting highway is designed to provide 3 traffic lanes in each direction across the Bay of İzmit. The total length of the bridge will be 3.3 kilometers, with a main span of 1,688 meters. At present the only suspension bridge with a longer span is the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan (1,991 meters).