The formal opening of the Eurasia Tunnel, connecting the two continents of Istanbul underneath the Marmara Sea, was taken place on 20th December with the participations of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, PM Binali Yıldırım, and many other local and foreign official invitees.
The two-tier tunnel is 14, 5 km in length, including a 5,4km section under the sea, and only the rubber-wheeled vehicles are permitted to pass through. Istanbul has a bad reputation in the matter of traffic. For this reason, the Eurasia Tunnel is seemed to be a reliable solution for the notorious traffic of the city. By significantly reducing the journey time between the two continents of Istanbul to 15 minutes, the tunnel is thought to ease Istanbul's traffic jam, especially during rush hours.
The construction of the tunnel was began in 2011, and cost approximately 1, 2 Billion Dollars. In accordance with authorities, 100.000 vehicles are expected to pass through the tunnel day after day.
The tolls of the tunnel will be 4$ plus VAT (Value-added-tax) for autos, and 6$ plus VAT (Value-added-tax) for minibuses.
Born and raised in Istanbul where I’m a medical student at YeditepeUniversity.