Istanbul-Izmir Motorway
The Istanbul-Izmir Motorway, constructed using the Build-Operate-Transfer financing model, has a total length of 426 kilometers, with 384 kilometers of it being the motorways and 42 kilometers as connecting roads.
The entire motorway was officially opened on August 4, 2019, with its completed sections being gradually made available to the public.
The most significant part of the motorway is the Osmangazi Bridge, which was built between Dilovası and Hersek Burnu, connecting both sides of the Izmit Bay. Using the old route to cross this section took one and a half hours, and ferry crossings took 45 to 60 minutes. With the Osmangazi Bridge, the Bay can now be crossed in just 6 minutes.
The highway has significantly reduced the travel time between Istanbul and Izmir, cutting it from 8.5 hours to 3.5 hours. It has also alleviated urban traffic congestion by reducing the heavy traffic passing through residential areas and the existing state road.
Thanks to this project, Balıkesir and Manisa have become new focal points for industrial investments, surpassing the capacity of the surrounding regions in Istanbul and Bursa.
Travel time between Istanbul and Bursa, previously 3 hours, has been reduced to just 1 hour.
The motorway ensures the uninterrupted transportation of industrial products and raw materials between the cities along the route and the surrounding areas, delivering them to production and consumption centers with the convenience of a modern motorway. It also facilitates access to ports in the Marmara Region, including Izmir Port, and the Candarli Port.
Moreover, the extended tourism season in Izmir and Aydın, made possible by this motorway, has boosted the appeal of tourist destinations like Cesme, Foça, Dikili, Kuşadası, Selçuk, Didim, Bodrum, and Bergama.
The Istanbul-Izmir Motorway, in combination with the Edirne-Istanbul-Ankara Motorway and the Izmir-Aydin and Izmir-Cesme Motorways, creates a controlled-access motorway network connecting the backbone of the Turkish economy, the Marmara and Aegean Regions.
