Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a test drive through a tunnel that connects Istanbul’s Asian side to the European half under the Bosphorus on Saturday 8th. This was a final test drive through one of Turkey’s historic projects which will be inaugurated on 20th of December, said Erdogan.  The tunnel will provide a new strategic transport link between Europe and Asia, shortening the journey time between Kazlicesme and Goztepe from 100 minutes to just 15 minutes.

Over 5 km of the project will comprise a two-story tunnel constructed underneath the seabed using special technology with approach tunnels constructed using other methods, said an official leading the project. Road expansion and improvement works are being carried out on a total route of 9.2 kilometers on the European and Asian sides. The cost of the project is around 1.12 billion euros, according to data from official website of the project.

Source: TRTworld