World’s Longest Suspension Bridge Opens in Turkey, Linking Europe and Asia

On Friday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, along with the South Korean Prime Minister and various other officials, officially inaugurated an immense suspension bridge that spans the Dardanelles Strait, connecting Turkey's European and Asian shores.

The new '1915 Çanakkale Bridge', as it's called, now holds the distinction of being the world's longest suspension bridge. It spans the Dardanelles, a channel flowing between the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara, with the Gallipoli peninsula on the European side and Anatolia (a.k.a. Asia Minor) on the Asian side.

"Çanakkale, which has been the apple of the eyes of various civilizations, cultures and societies for thousands of years, embraces a brand-new future today. We have come together to inaugurate the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, which we see as a ruby necklace over the Çanakkale Strait," Erdogan said, according to the Turkish Presidency's news release.

Previously, people and vehicles had to make the crossing by ferry, an hour-and-a-half journey that could take up to five hours, inclusive of wait time. Now, travelers can make it across in just six minutes, Reuters reported. The president said that the toll for passenger vehicles to use the bridge will be 200 Turkish lira ($13.60).

Construction of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, begun in March 2017, was funded by a consortium of Turkish and South Korean companies, and cost €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion). Erdogan said that it will wind up saving Turkey €415 million annually through reduced fuel consumption and carbon emissions. "These works will continue to provide profit for the state for many years," the president said, adding, "These projects have a large share in putting our country ahead in investment, workforce and exports."

The bridge's official launch date holds special significance, as March 18 marked the 107th anniversary of a World War I battle waged in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire (as Turkey was then known) against joint British and French forces for control of the Dardenelles.

AP News reported that South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum referred to the region's historic battlefields in his remarks at the inauguration ceremony, saying, "The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge will leave this history of collision and conflict behind, and will be a bridge between East and West, starting a new era of peace and prosperity." Erdogan said, "We always talk about building a bridge from the past to the future. Here, we have put this promise into action both in word and in spirit."

Several of the bridge's technical specifications actually hold symbolic meaning. Its record-breaking midspan of 2,023 meters (1.25 miles) alludes to the upcoming centenary of the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 2023, following the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Its towers measure 318 meters (1,043 feet) high, a nod to the date (March 18, or 3/18) on which Turkey honors its soldiers who were killed in the WWI battles at Gallipoli.