The World's Longest Suspension Bridge Now Open for Traffic: A New Marvel of Engineering!

 

Turkey's 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, which opened on 18 March 2022, is the world's longest suspension bridge with a main span of 2,023 metres. The bridge, designed by consultant COWI for DLSY joint venture, has a capacity of up to 45,000 vehicles per day and will be critical for stimulating local and international economic development, logistics and tourism in the region.

COWI has been working on the project since the Spring of 2017, undertaking detailed design and construction engineering for the bridge girder. The bridge's two distinctive red towers, which stand at a height of 318m, are the tallest in the world for a suspension bridge.

The area where the bridge is located presents several challenges, such as high winds, high seismic activity and the passage of large container ships and cruise ships. To ensure aerodynamic stability, a twin-box girder was adopted for the bridge. The risk of ship impact was also considered in the design.

Inger Birgitte Kroon, Project Director at COWI, said that the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge had been a fantastic project to work on, with strong collaboration between all parties involved being essential for designing and constructing a world record suspension bridge in less than 5 years.

The bridge is located at the southern entrance to the Marmara Sea towards Istanbul and is the only route towards the Black Sea in the North. Henrik Andersen, Senior Director for international bridge projects at COWI, said that it had been incredible to follow the project from the signing of the consultancy agreement in 2017 to the final bridge in just five years.

COWI is a leading international consulting group that offers innovative and sustainable solutions for complex challenges in infrastructure, buildings, environment, water, energy, industry, and planning. With offices around the world, the group provides clients with engineering, economic and environmental science expertise.