Plans for the construction of a new bridge between Greece and Turkey have been moving ahead. Credit: Egnatia SA
Plans for the construction of a new bridge linking Greece and Turkey in the Evros region have been rapidly shaping up, and the project is nearing the beginning, according to the Greek company responsible for its implementation.
Egnatia Odos SA, responsible for the design of the project with its Turkish counterparts, has completed the project’s study and has handed it over to Turkey, Konstantinos Koutsoukos, Egnatia’s CEO said. The study began in 2006, yet “In the last four years, it had entered a very intense phase, and, as a result, we are delighted to announce that, after four years of tension between the two sides, we can hand over the final study and design of the new bridge at Kipi,” Koutsoukos noted.
Moreover, a video with a 3D model of the cross-border bridge shows what the final look of the bridge will be when it’s completed around 2027.
The new cross-border bridge between Greece and Turkey will have four lanes, two on each side. Credit: Egnatia SA
How are project plans expected to unfold in the coming months?
In the coming months, Egnatia SA expects to finish tender documentation on the Greek side, while Turkey will be doing the same, as it has been stated in the agreement between the two countries. If all goes as planned, the two sides should be able to select the contractors that will carry out plans for the project.
When construction begins, there will be a joint supervision team under Greece’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation and the equivalent ministry of Turkey. The bridge will be a cabled structure, spanning 400 meters exactly above the Evros River. It will be over one hundred feet wide with four lanes in total, two on each side.
The new bridge project at Evros dubbed “Friendship Bridge”
Construction of “Friendship Bridge,” as the particular bridge is known, was expected to start in 2024 after officials of both countries approved of the project during the 2023 visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Athens. It will be the second bridge serving as a link between Greece and Turkey, as one is currently in operation.
On the Greek side, the project was awarded in 2022 to engineering firms Egis and Mavrakis & Partners. The bridge between Greece and Turkey will improve road safety conditions and ensure the smoother movement of passengers and goods between the two countries.
As a gateway between Europe and Asia, the “Friendship Bridge” will be an essential node of the future pan-European “Corridor IV.” It will consist of a main bridge and two landing bridges. On the Greek side, it will be part of the Egnatia – Thessaloniki – Kipi motorway section. In Turkey, it will be connected to the Ipsala – Istanbul section.
The creation of the bridge is made possible by the collaboration of the Greek and Turkish governments, provided for in the intergovernmental agreement signed in Istanbul in 2006.
The new bridge will serve as a counterpart to an existing bridge. It will be built further downstream. The Turkish Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that the existing Ipsala-Kipi Bridge over the Meriç River was built in 1958, and, after inspections, there were no structural issues.
However, due to increased heavy vehicle traffic and the concentration of tourists, it has been determined that the bridge is now inadequate.