İzmit Bay Bridge
| Osman Gazi Bridge | |
|---|---|
|
Izmit Bay Bridge under construction, April 2016 | |
| Coordinates | 40°45′18″N 29°31′0″E / 40.75500°N 29.51667°ECoordinates: 40°45′18″N 29°31′0″E / 40.75500°N 29.51667°E |
| Carries |
6 lanes of the  Istanbul-Bursa Motorway |
| Crosses | Izmit Bay |
| Locale | Kocaeli, Turkey |
| Maintained by |
|
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Suspension |
| Material | steel, foundation structures: 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] |
| Longest span | 1,550 m (5,090 ft)[1] |
| Clearance above | 64.3 m (211 ft) x 1,000 m (3,300 ft) |
| History | |
| Engineering design by |
 COWI A/S |
| Construction begin | 2013 |
| Construction end | August 2016 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | approx. 35,000 vehicles per week |
| Toll | $35[2] |
  Osman Gazi Bridge Location in Turkey | |
The Osman Gazi Bridge aka İzmit Bay Bridge (Turkish: İzmit Körfez Köprüsü) is a suspension bridge under construction, located at the Gulf of İzmit along the eastern end of the Sea of Marmara, in close vicinity of Izmit and approximately 50 km (31 mi) southeast of Istanbul, Turkey. When completed, it will be the fourth-longest suspension bridge in the world by the length of its central span.
Project
Construction and operation of the bridge was awarded to a joint venture 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.[3][4] As of 2010, the contract was signed for the project that is estimated to cost 
11 billion for the entire highway from Gebze to Bursa. After the completion of the bridge, the distance between Istanbul and İzmir will shorten about 140 km (87 mi) bypassing the long-stretched Gulf of İzmit. The projected highway of 420 km (260 mi) length with the bridge will reduce the travel time between the two major cities from six-and-half hours to three-and-half hours. The construction is expected to be completed in August 2016.[5][6]
On March 30, 2013, Prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan laid the groundstone for the bridge.[7]
EPC Bridge Contractor
The US$1 billion privately financed bridge, awarded to IHI Infrastructure System Co.(Japanese Contactor) on 16 July 2011 as EPC basis with FIDIC Silverbook contract. IHI which was one of the contractors of 2nd Bosphorus bridge, was also completed seismic reinforcement projects for Halic and Mecidiyekoy viaducts.
IHI subcontracted the design works to Danish engineering design firm COWI A/S. Bridge will connect the northeastern and southeastern coast of the Izmit Bay, significantly reducing regional travel time. Crossing the bay, the bridge and the connecting highway will provide three lanes of traffic in each direction. Notice to proceed was given by Nomayg to IHI on 01 January 2013 and total project duration is 37 months.
The most important dimensions are:[5][4]
- 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 will be fourth longest suspension bridge in the world.[8]
Accident at construction site
At about 15:30 local time on March 21, 2015, during the construction works at the bridge, the eastern side cable carrying the catwalk broke away from its bolted joint on the south tower, and fell into the water. Spanned in February 2015, the catwalk is 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 March 23.[9][10]
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 the cemetery near his lodging in Altınova. He left a note in Japanese language 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."[6] [10][11][12]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 http://www.otoyolas.com.tr/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2.jpg
- ↑ http://ekonomi.milliyet.com.tr/turkiye-nin-en-buyuk-otoyol/ekonomi/detay/1801382/default.htm
- ↑ Turkey Infrastructure Report Q4 2009
- 1 2 "Körfez köprüsü dünya dördüncüsü olacak". Radikal (in Turkish). 2012-05-27. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
- 1 2 "Izmit Bay bridge". Dissing+Weitling architecture. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
- 1 2 "Japanese engineer commits suicide after İzmit bridge cable snaps". Today's Zaman. 2015-03-23. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
- ↑ "İzmit Körfez Geçişi Asma Köprüsü'nün Temeli Atıldı". Son Dakika (in Turkish). 2013-03-30. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
- ↑ "Bu otoyolla İzmir-İstanbul 3.5 saate iniyor". Radikal (in Turkish). 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
- ↑ "Körfez Köprüsü'nde kablo koptu". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 2015-03-21. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
- 1 2 "Dev projenin mühendisi ölü bulundu". Milliyet (in Turkish). 2015-03-23. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
- ↑ "Körfez Geçiş Köprüsü'nde çalışan Japon mühendis intihar etti". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 2015-03-23. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
- ↑ "İzmit Körfez Geçiş Köprüsü Halatı Koptu, Japon Mühendis İntihar Etti". Habertürk (in Turkish). 2015-03-23. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Izmit Bay Bridge. |
- Izmit Bay Bridge at Structurae
- Description of the project
- Otoyol A.Ş. – project to connect Gebze and İzmir with a highway crossing Izmit Bay