(All images by COWI)
by Ron Bernthal
In March, 2022, the world’s longest suspension bridge opened in Turkey. Named the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, the new structure will carry up to 45,000 vehicles each day, and is a vital element to stimulate local and international economic development, logistics and tourism in the area. Turkey’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoğlu announced that the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge vehicle toll to cross the bridge will be 15 euros (about $16.46 at the time of bridge opening).
The international consulting group, COWI A/S, specializing in engineering, environmental science and economics, with headquarters in Lyngby, Denmark, was the consultant for the design-build contractor DLSY joint venture consisting of Daelim, Limak, SK and Yapi Merkezi since the start of the project in the Spring of 2017. Now open to vehicle traffic over the Dardanelles waterway, COWI carried out the design of this challenging suspension bridge, and have carried out construction engineering for the erection of the bridge girder.
With a main span of 6,637-feet, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge edges out Japan’s Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, which has a 6,535-feet main span and takes the world record as the longest spanning bridge. It has been constructed between Lapseki and Gelibolu districts of Çanakkale province in Turkey. The two distinctive red towers have a height of 1,043-feet, the tallest towers in the world for suspension bridges. The bridge is named after the year and location of an important Ottoman naval victory against the British and the French during World War I, and is expected to carry up to 45,000 vehicles across its six lanes each day, a great boost for both tourism and commercial activity in the region.
Çanakkale province is in northwestern Turkey in the Marmara region, on the Dardanelles Strait. It is a gateway to the Gallipoli WWI battlefields north of the bridge site, and the archaeological sites at Troy, south of the bridge. Either city is about hour drive from the bridge. The Çanakkale area is also home to unique local seafood dishes, small batch wines, and relaxing beaches. Istanbul is about a four-hour drive east of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge.
“The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge has been a fantastic project to work with,” said Inger Birgitte Kroon, Project Director, COWI. “Not just for all the technical challenges that we as engineers love but also for the strong collaboration with DLSY, the owner and other involved parties. Only with a collaborative mindset from all parties has it been possible to design and construct a world record suspension bridge in less than five years.”
The area where the bridge is located is marked by several challenges, such as high winds, high seismic activity and high-stacked container ships, all of which had to be considered. Strong winds are always critical for a long-span suspension bridge and to ensure aerodynamic stability a twin-box girder was adopted.
The bridge is located at the southern entrance to the Marmara Sea towards Istanbul, and is the only route toward the Black Sea in the North, with very large container ships and cruise ships passing under the bridge, the risk of ship impact was considered in the design.
“It has been incredible to follow this project from when we signed the consultancy agreement in the Spring of 2017 and the first drawings through to the final bridge in just five years,” said Henrik Andersen, Senior Director for international bridge projects, COWI. “I am very proud of my 400+ COWI colleagues who have contributed to this achievement, and it is great to see the final bridge opened for traffic.”
