Osmangazi Bridge
The Osmangazi Bridge is a crucial segment of the 426 km-long Istanbul-Izmir Motorway, constructed using the Build-Operate-Transfer model, comprising 384 km of motorway and 42 km of connecting roads.
This bridge, situated between Dilovası and Hersek Burnu, connects the two shores of the Izmit Gulf, boasting a total length of 2,682 meters.
With a central span of 1,550 meters, it ranks 7th in the list of the world's largest central span suspension bridges that are in operation.
The bridge was completed on July 1, 2016, and has since been serving the public.
When comparing crossing times using different transportation options, traveling across the gulf by car via the existing road takes about an hour and a half, while the ferry ride takes 45-60 minutes. In contrast, the Osmangazi Bridge reduces the crossing time to just 6 minutes.
During the construction of the Osmangazi Bridge:
• If you were to connect the steel cables end to end, they would extend to a length of 84,518 km, which is more than enough to circle the Earth's circumference over two times.
• A single deck segment of the bridge weighs 292 tons.
• With the quantity of concrete used, equivalent to 196,000 m³, you could build around 5,150 100 m² houses. Considering an average of 4 people living in each house, this would create a living space for around 21,000 people.
• The quantity of steel used amounts to 109,490 tons, which could be used to produce approximately 73,000 automobiles.
The main span of the Osmangazi Bridge covers an area of 96,364 m², which is roughly equivalent to the size of 14 large soccer fields. The southern approach viaduct deck segment, measuring 1,120 meters, was installed using the push-launch method, weighing 22,500 tons. This operation holds the distinction of being the world's largest push-launch operation. Additionally, the remaining 260 meters of the deck, comprised of segments measuring 127 meters and 133 meters, were assembled using heavy lifting, with weights of 2,300 tons and 2,600 tons, respectively. This accomplishment marks the world's largest heavy lifting operation.
