Osman Gazi Bridge

Osman Gazi Bridge Osman Gazi Köprüsü
Osman Gazi Bridge at the Gulf of İzmit, July 2016
Coordinates	40°45′19″N 29°30′57″E / 40.755153°N 29.515712°E / 40.755153; 29.515712Coordinates: 40°45′19″N 29°30′57″E / 40.755153°N 29.515712°E / 40.755153; 29.515712
Carries	6 lanes of
Crosses	Gulf of İzmit
Locale	Kocaeli, Turkey
Official name	Osmangazi Köprüsü
Other name(s)	İzmit Bay Bridge
Named for	Osman Gazi
Maintained by	Nömayg - Nurol, Özaltın, Makyol, Yüksel, Gocay
Characteristics
Design	Suspension
Material	steel
Pier construction	concrete
Total length	2,682 m (8,799 ft)[1]
Width	35.93 m (117.9 ft)[1]
Height	234.425 m (769.11 ft) (pylons)[1]
Traversable?	Yes
Longest span	1,550 m (5,090 ft)
No. of spans	3
Piers in water	2
Clearance below	64 m (210 ft)
History
Architect	Dissing+Weitling
Designer	IHI Corporation
Contracted lead designer	IHI Corporation
Engineering design by	COWI A/S
Construction start	30 March 2013 (2013-03-30)
Construction end	30 June 2016 (2016-06-30)
Construction cost	US$ 1.2 billion[2]
Inaugurated	1 July 2016 (2016-07-01)
Statistics
Daily traffic	approx. 6000 PCE/day [3]
Toll	₺65.65
Osman Gazi Bridge Location in Marmara

The Osman Gazi Bridge (Turkish: Osman Gazi Köprüsü) is a suspension bridge spanning the Gulf of İzmit at its narrowest point, 2,620 m (8,600 ft). The bridge links the Turkish city of Gebze to the Yalova Province and carries the O-5 motorway across the gulf. The bridge was opened on 1 July 2016 and surpassed the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge to become the longest bridge in Turkey and the fourth-longest suspension bridge in the world by the length of its central span.

The length of the bridge is expected to be surpassed by the Çanakkale 1915 Bridge, which is currently under construction across the Dardanelles strait.

Project

Construction and operation of the bridge was awarded to a joint venture (NOMAYG JV) formed by five Turkish companies (Nurol, Özaltın, Makyol, Yüksel and Gocay) and one Italian construction company Astaldi following the international Build–operate–transfer tender that took place in April 2009.^[4][5] In 2010, a contract was signed for the project that was estimated to cost ₺11 billion for the entire highway from Gebze to Bursa.

On 30 March 2013 Prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan laid the ground stone for the bridge.^[6]

After the completion of the bridge, the distance between Istanbul and İzmir shortened by about 140 km (87 mi), bypassing the long-stretched Gulf of İzmit. The 420 km (260 mi) highway and bridge reduced the travel time between the two major cities from six-and-half hours to three-and-half hours. The bridge and the connecting highway provide three lanes of traffic in each direction. The construction was completed on 30 June 2016.^[7][8]

EPC Bridge Contractor

The US$1 billion privately financed bridge was awarded to the Japanese firm IHI Infrastructure System Co. on 16 July 2011 as EPC basis with FIDIC Silverbook contract. IHI, which was one of the contractors of second Bosphorus bridge, also completed the seismic reinforcement projects for Halic and Mecidiyekoy viaducts. IHI subcontracted the design works to Danish engineering design firm COWI A/S, which collaborated for the aesthetic design with Dissing+Weitling. Notice to proceed was given by NOMAYG JV to IHI on 1 January 2013 and the expected total project duration was 37 months.

The dimensions are:^[5][7]

• main span length: 1,550 m (5,090 ft)
• side spans length: 566 m (1,857 ft)
• clearance: 64 m (210 ft)
• tower height: 252.0 m (826.8 ft)
• tower size (at the base): 8 m × 7 m (26 ft × 23 ft)
• deck size: 35.93 m × 4.75 m (117.9 ft × 15.6 ft)

The bridge is fourth longest suspension bridge in the world.^[9]

Accident at construction site

The bridge after the accident.

On 21 March 2015 a catwalk broke away from its bolted joint cable on the south tower during the construction at the bridge and fell into the water. Added in February 2015, the catwalk was needed to allow workers access to the other side of the bay. No one was harmed by the accident as work was interrupted at this section due to windy weather. Marine traffic to and from İzmit Bay was suspended following the accident for security reasons and resumed after recovering the cable in the morning of 23 March.^[10][11]

Kishi Ryoichi, the 51-year-old Japanese engineer of the IHI-Itochu Consortium, who was in charge of the construction at site, committed suicide by cutting his wrist and throat with a blade knife. He was found dead at the entrance of a cemetery near his lodging in Altınova. He left a note saying that "...this failure ends my private and professional life. This project was mine and my country's pride. No one else is responsible for this failure."^{[8][11][12][13]}

Tolls

As of 1 January 2017 the bridge tolls are:^[14]

In popular culture

The four-time Supersport World champion Kenan Sofuoğlu from Turkey made a show of motorcycle speed trial in the early hours of 30 June 2016, right before the official opening of the bridge. He traversed the 1.5 km (0.93 mi) distance in 26 seconds reaching a top speed of 400 km/h (250 mph) on his Kawasaki Ninja H2R track-only motorcycle.^[15][16]

See also

• Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge
• Eurasia Tunnel
• Great Istanbul Tunnel
• Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge
• Bosphorus Bridge

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Osman Gazi Bridge.

• Izmit Bay Bridge at Structurae