Eurasia Tunnel
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The Eurasia Tunnel ( tr, Avrasya Tüneli) is a road tunnel in
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
,
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, crossing underneath the
Bosphorus strait The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern T ...
. The tunnel was officially opened on 20 December 2016 and opened to traffic on 22 December 2016. The double-deck tunnel connects
Kumkapı Kumkapı (meaning 'sand gate' in Turkish) is a quarter in Fatih district of Istanbul. It is located along the northern shore of Marmara Sea. Up to recent times, Kumkapı is the center of the Armenian community of the city, boasting a school an ...
on the European part and Koşuyolu, Kadıköy, on the Asian part of Istanbul with a route including the tunnel approach roads. It crosses the Bosphorus beneath the seabed at a maximum depth of −. It is about south of the undersea railway tunnel
Marmaray The Marmaray () is a intercontinental commuter rail line in Istanbul, Turkey. A rail tunnel running under the Bosphorus strait was connected to an upgraded version of the old suburban train service (known as the banliyö), allowing trains ...
, which was opened on 29 October 2013. The journey between the two continents takes about 5 minutes. Toll is collected in both directions; since February 2020,
The lira ( tr, Türk lirası; Currency sign, sign: ₺; ISO 4217, ISO 4217 code: TRY; abbreviation: TL) is the official currency of Turkey and Northern Cyprus. One lira is divided into one hundred ''kuruş''. History Ottoman lira (1844–1923) ...
36.40 (about $4  US) for cars and ₺54.70 ($6 US) for minibuses. In February 2021 the toll increased by 26% to ₺46 (approx. $6.20) and ₺69 (~$9.30) respectively.


Background

In 1891, French railway engineer Simon Préault presented a preliminary project for an underwater tubular bridge "patented by the Ottoman imperial government", consisting of a submerged bridge supporting a tube where steam trains would run. The conceptual background of Eurasia Tunnel reaches back to the findings of the 1997 Transportation Master Plan undertaken by
Istanbul University , image = Istanbul_University_logo.svg , image_size = 200px , latin_name = Universitas Istanbulensis , motto = tr, Tarihten Geleceğe Bilim Köprüsü , mottoeng = Science Bridge from Past to the Future , established = 1453 1846 1933 ...
on behalf of
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_in ...
. Based on this plan, a pre-feasibility study had been conducted in 2003 for a new Bosphorus crossing. According to the results of this study, a road tunnel was recommended as the solution that offered the highest degree of feasibility. The Ministry of Transportation, Maritime and Communication of Turkey commissioned a feasibility study by Nippon Koei Co. Ltd. in 2005 to assess route alternatives for a new tunnel crossing. Based on environmental and social criteria, cost and risk factors, the study concluded by supporting the initially proposed route as the preferred option. The three current bridges across the Bosphorus were taken into consideration in selecting the tunnel's location, which was put farther south to better balance the distribution of traffic between the crossings. Other selection criteria included the route's lower investment cost due to a shorter tunnel length and the availability of sufficient space for construction sites and operational buildings (toll plaza, administrative units). High level assessments based on corridor alternatives that are comprehensively defined in the feasibility study also support the selection of the proposed route in terms of environmental and social costs and risk factors.


Investors

Avrasya Tüneli İşletme İnşaat ve Yatırım A.Ş. (ATAŞ) was founded on 26 October 2009 by the partnership of
Yapı Merkezi Yapı Merkezi Holding A.Ş. is a group company whose field of activity is primarily in the construction industry. It was founded in 1965 by Ersin Arioglu and Koksal Anadol in Istanbul. As the first and largest company of the Yapı Merkezi Group, ...
from Turkey and SK E&C from South Korea. The
build–operate–transfer Build–operate–transfer (BOT) or build–own–operate–transfer (BOOT) is a form of project delivery method, usually for large-scale infrastructure projects, wherein a private entity receives a concession from the public sector (or the priva ...
model adopted at the Eurasia Tunnel, has brought together the private investment dynamism and their project experience, and the support of international financial institutions. The concession lasts 29 years. Partnership contract includes guaranteed minimum revenue and profit sharing for parts exceeding guaranteed revenue. The
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is an international financial institution founded in 1991. As a multilateral developmental investment bank, the EBRD uses investment as a tool to build market economies. Initially focus ...
(EBRD) is supplying a finance package worth US$150 million. Other components of the US$1.245 billion financing package include a $350 million loan from the
European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the EU Member States. It is one of the largest supranational lenders in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt solutions ...
(EIB) and financing and guarantees from Export-Import Bank of Korea and K-Sure, also with participation from
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation is a Japanese multinational banking and financial services institution headquartered in Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The group operates in retail, corporate, and investment banking segment worldwide. It provides financial products and ser ...
,
Standard Chartered Standard Chartered plc is a multinational bank with operations in consumer, corporate and institutional banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retail banking in the UK, and around 9 ...
,
Mizuho Bank is the integrated retail and corporate banking unit of Mizuho Financial Group (; ), the third largest financial services company in Japan, with total assets of approximately $1.8 trillion in 2017. Mizuho is one of the three so-called Japanese ...
,
Türkiye İş Bankası Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
,
Garanti Bank Garanti BBVA (legal name Türkiye Garanti Bankası A.Ş; formerly referred to as Garanti Bank in English) is a Turkish financial services company based in Turkey. 86% of Garanti's stakes are owned by the Spanish bank Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argent ...
and Yapı ve Kredi Bankası. A hedging facility for the transaction is provided by some of the lenders as well as
Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank AG (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...
.


Project segments

The project consists of three main segments: ;European side Construction of five U-turns as underpasses and seven pedestrian crossings as overpasses along Kennedy Street that stretches between Kazlıçeşme and
Sarayburnu Sarayburnu ( tr, Sarayburnu, meaning ''Palace Cape''; known in English as the Seraglio Point) is a promontory quarter separating the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara in Istanbul, Turkey. The area is where the renowned Topkapı Palace and Gülh ...
as a shoreline road beside the
Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via the ...
. Widening of the entire Segment 1, which is approximately , from 3x2 lanes to 2x4 lanes. ;Bosphorus crossing Construction of a , two-deck road tunnel with two lanes on each deck, a toll plaza and an administrative building on the western end and ventilation shafts on both ends of the tunnel. ;Asian side Widening from 2x3 and 2x4 lanes to 2x4 and 2x5 lanes along an approximately stretch of the current D100 road that links at Göztepe to Ankara-İstanbul State Highway, and construction of 2 bridge intersections, 1 overpass and 3 pedestrian bridges.


Technical details

The American firm
Parsons Brinckerhoff WSP USA, formerly WSP, Parsons Brinckerhoff and Parsons Brinckerhoff, is a multinational engineering and design firm with approximately 14,000 employees. WSP stands for Williams Sale Partnership. The firm operates in the fields of strategic con ...
was responsible for the design, while the British
Arup Group Arup (officially Arup Group Limited) is a British multinational professional services firm headquartered in London which provides design, engineering, architecture, planning, and advisory services across every aspect of the built environment ...
and American
Jacobs Engineering Group Jacobs Solutions Inc. is an American international technical professional services firm. The company provides engineering, technical, professional and construction services, as well as scientific and specialty consulting for a broad range of cli ...
undertook the technical and traffic studies and
HNTB HNTB Corporation is an American infrastructure design firm. Founded in 1914 in Kansas City, Missouri, HNTB began with the partnership made by Ernest Emmanuel Howard with the firm Waddell & Harrington, founded in 1907. Considered as one of the m ...
provided independent design verification. The geotechnical survey was by the Dutch consultancy
Fugro Fugro is a Dutch multinational public company headquartered in Leidschendam, Netherlands, that specializes in collecting and analysing geological data, both on land and at sea. Employing approximately 9,000 people in 65 countries, Fugro serv ...
. The
tunnel boring machine A tunnel boring machine (TBM), also known as a "mole", is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata. They may also be used for microtunneling. They can be designed to bore throu ...
(TBM) was supplied by the German manufacturer
Herrenknecht Herrenknecht AG is a German company that manufactures tunnel boring machines, headquartered in Allmannsweier, Schwanau, Baden-Württemberg. It is the worldwide market leader for heavy tunnel boring machines. Roughly two-thirds of its 5,000 employ ...
. The Italian company
Italferr Italferr is a consulting and project company belonging to FS (Ferrovie dello Stato), the Italian railway state company. Italferr, the Italian State Railways Group engineering firm, operates on the Italian and international markets in the field o ...
was in charge of works management and project review on behalf of Administration. The French company
Egis Group Egis is an international company active in the consulting, construction engineering and mobility service sectors that design and operate intelligent infrastructure and buildings. Egis operates in 120 countries and has 16,200 employees. History ...
will be in charge of the operation and maintenance.Galante, Grace
The Eurasia tunnel under the Bosphorus opens to the public.
''ccworldconstruction.com'', December 21, 2016.
The TBM section crossing the Bosphorus is long while another is constructed by the
New Austrian Tunnelling method The New Austrian tunneling method (NATM), also known as the sequential excavation method (SEM) or sprayed concrete lining method (SCL), is a method of modern tunnel design and construction employing sophisticated monitoring to optimize various wa ...
(NATM) and
cut-and-cover A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube constr ...
method. The tunnel's excavation diameter is , which allows an inner diameter of with -thick lining. The tunnel alignment is located in a seismically active region, about to the North Anatolian Fault Zone. To decrease the seismic stresses/strains below the permissible levels, two flexible seismic joints/segments; with displacement limits of ± for shear and ± for extraction/contraction; were innovated, designed specially, localized through geological/geophysical/geotechnical conditions, tested in laboratory; implemented ‘first time’ in TBM tunnelling under similar severe conditions. The design earthquake magnitude was specified as moment magnitude of 7.25 and design of functional and safety evaluation earthquakes have a return period of 500 and 2,500 years, respectively. Seismic joint locations defined during design phase were verified through continuous monitoring of cutterhead torques. The tunnel was excavated and constructed with a diameter Mixshield Slurry TBM exclusively designed and equipped with the latest } disc cutters (35 pieces monoblock disc cutters, all atmospherically changeable and have individual wearing sensor system), 192 piece cutting knives (only 48 atmospherically changeable), special pressurized locks for divers and material and rescue chamber for all shift members. Slurry Treatment Plant (installed power of which de-silts the bentonite slurry used during excavation and regenerates with capacity (approximately equivalent to ) was installed. The utilized TBM ranks first in the world with its cutterhead power, second with its pressure design; and sixth with its excavation area. TBM operation was completed within ± tolerance in 479 calendar days, resulting in an average advance rate of ( for working days) by three crews 24/7. The maximum advance rate was realized at marine sediment zone with . Spent direct time for excavation and ringbuild were around 3,500 and 1,700 hours, respectively. In Trakya formation, 28 dyke zones were excavated with an average frequency of and thicknesses were varying between . Furthermore, 440 disc cutters, 85 scrapers and 475 brushes were replaced by TBM crew and four times hyperbaric maintenance operations (total of 45 days) with specially trained divers (max. under first time in the world) were successfully performed. 15,048 piece -thick precast segments (1,672 rings) with the high performance (average charge passed is 280
Coulomb The coulomb (symbol: C) is the unit of electric charge in the International System of Units (SI). In the present version of the SI it is equal to the electric charge delivered by a 1 ampere constant current in 1 second and to elementary char ...
(1,000 Coulomb limit) were produced and connected to each other by using 30,765 bolts. Each ring consists of nine segments that had an average 28 day cylinder compressive strength of and can resist at least 127 years as a service life against subsea conditions. Only 0.3% of produced segments were found to be deficient due to existence of cracks width more than . On the other hand, twin tunnels (each has approximately length) were completed in 445 calendar days with a cross section of each by classical mining method. These tunnels were excavated in Trakya Formation from four faces with a /face advance rate under a densely populated district with minimum and maximum overburden of , respectively. Both tunnels met up each other within ± tolerance. The largest converge measured at the tunnel crown was (design tolerance is ) with a maximum surface settlement. The tunnel is designed so that it has protected emergency areas every to provide shelter, also escape routes to the other tunnel level. Every there will be an emergency lane equipped with emergency telephone. The speed limit in the tunnel route . A daily average of around 120,000 cars and light vehicles is expected to pass through the tunnel after the first year. The toll is planned to be Turkish lira equivalent of $4 US plus
VAT A value-added tax (VAT), known in some countries as a goods and services tax (GST), is a type of tax that is assessed incrementally. It is levied on the price of a product or service at each stage of production, distribution, or sale to the en ...
for cars and $6 US plus VAT for minibuses in each direction. The toll rate will change in accordance with
US Consumer Price Index The United States Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a set of consumer price indices calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). To be precise, the BLS routinely computes many different CPIs that are used for different purposes. ...
.


See also

*
Bosphorus Bridge The Bosphorus Bridge ( tr, Boğaziçi Köprüsü), known officially as the 15 July Martyrs Bridge ( tr, 15 Temmuz Şehitler Köprüsü) and unofficially as the First Bridge ( tr, Birinci Köprü), is one of the three suspension bridges spannin ...
, also called the First Bosphorus Bridge. *
Bosphorus Strait The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern T ...
*
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge ("Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror Bridge"), also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge (in Turkish: ''Fatih Sultan Mehmet Köprüsü'', ''F.S.M. Köprüsü'' or ''2. Köprü''), is a bridge in Istanbul, Turkey spannin ...
, also called the Second Bosphorus Bridge, located about 5 km north of the Bosphorus Bridge. *
Great Istanbul Tunnel The Great Istanbul Tunnel ( tr, Büyük İstanbul Tüneli) is a proposed multi-use road tunnel, highway and railway tunnel, railway undersea tunnel in Istanbul, Turkey to cross the Bosphorus strait. Project The project was officially announced b ...
, a proposed three-level road-rail undersea tunnel. *
Marmaray The Marmaray () is a intercontinental commuter rail line in Istanbul, Turkey. A rail tunnel running under the Bosphorus strait was connected to an upgraded version of the old suburban train service (known as the banliyö), allowing trains ...
, undersea rail tunnel, crossing the Bosphorus and connecting the Asian and European sides of Istanbul. *
Public transport in Istanbul ] Public transport in Istanbul comprises a bus network, various rail systems, funiculars, and maritime services to serve the more than 18 million inhabitants of the city spread over an area of 5712 km2. History Public road transpor ...
*
Rail transport in Turkey Turkey has a state-owned railway system built to standard gauge () which falls under the remit of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. The primary rail carrier is the ''Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları'' (TCDD) (Turkish S ...
* Turkish Straits *
Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge ( tr, Yavuz Sultan Selim Köprüsü) is a bridge for rail and motor vehicle transit over the Bosphorus strait, to the north of two existing suspension bridges in Istanbul, Turkey. It was initially named the Third Bos ...
, also called the Third Bosphorus Bridge.


References


External links

* *
Connecting Continents.
'' In: ''All Around'', No. 4 / ''
Herrenknecht AG Herrenknecht AG is a German company that manufactures tunnel boring machines, headquartered in Allmannsweier, Schwanau, Baden-Württemberg. It is the worldwide market leader for heavy tunnel boring machines. Roughly two-thirds of its 5,000 employ ...
'', large-screen pics of the tunnel construction {{Tunnels in Turkey Undersea tunnels in Europe Toll tunnels in Turkey Tunnels in Istanbul 2016 in Istanbul Bosphorus crossings Undersea tunnels in Asia 2016 establishments in Turkey Tunnels completed in 2016 Zeytinburnu Kadıköy