The Bosphorus is the strait that connects the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Marmara and separates the European and Asian parts of Istanbul. This strait is crossed by 3 bridges: the Bosphorus Bridge, the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, the Sultan Selim I Bridge or the Third Istanbul Bridge.

The Bosphorus Bridge, formally known as the July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge, and informally as the First Bridge, is one of the three suspension bridges spanning the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, thus linking Europe to Asia (alongside the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and Sultan Selim I Bridge). The bridge spans between Ortakoy (in Europe) and Beylerbeyi (in Asia).

Bridge Specifications

The suspension bridge is supported by gravity on steel towers and sloping trusses. The bridge’s aerodynamic floor is suspended on steel cables. The bridge is 1,560 m (5,118 ft) long and 33.40 m (110 ft) wide. The distance between the towers (main sea) is 1,074 m (3,524 ft), and the total height of the towers is 165 m (541 ft). The height of the bridge from the ground from sea level is 64 m (210 ft).

The construction of the Bosphorus Bridge was completed in 1973. It is currently considered among the long-span suspension bridges in the world, as it ranks number 33.

Renaming the bridge

After a group of soldiers took control of the bridge and partially closed it during the attempted military coup on July 15, 2016, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced on July 25, 2016, the decision of the Turkish Council of Ministers to officially change the name of the bridge to (July 15 Martyrs Bridge) in memory of those killed during their resistance against the coup attempt.

Bridge Features

The bridge’s highway width is eight traffic lanes. Three main traffic lanes serve each direction, an emergency lane and a pedestrian lane. On weekdays, most commuters flock to traffic heading west to Europe, so four of the six lanes of traffic go west and only two go east. In contrast, on weekday evenings, four lanes of traffic are designated for eastbound traffic and two lanes for westbound traffic.

For the first three years, pedestrians were able to walk over the bridge by accessing it by elevators located inside the towers on either side. Pedestrians or commercial vehicles, such as trucks, are not permitted to use the bridge at present.

Approximately 180,000 vehicles pass each day in both directions, which is approximately 85% of cars. A billion vehicles passed the bridge on December 29, 1997. When fully loaded, the bridge descends 90 cm (35 in) into the middle of the sea.