King takes part in Sultan Selim Bridge inauguration

Istanbul, Aug. 26 (BNA) His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa attended the official inauguration of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge linking the European and Asian sides of the city. The inauguration, under the patronage of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was attended by several heads of state and government. HM King Hamad and his delegation were welcomed to the ceremony by President Erdoğan, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and senior Turkish officials. At the open-air ceremony at the bridge, started with the Turkish anthem, several Turkish officials gave short speeches in which they lauded the megaproject and the benefits for the country. In his speech, President Erdoğan expressed great delight with the inauguration of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and thanked HM King Hamad and the heads of state and government for attending the official opening of the bridge. HM King Hamad participated in cutting the ribbon, marking the official opening of the bridge, and offered his congratulations to President Erdoğan on the occasion. HM the King praised the megaproject, saying it would mark a quantitative leap in consolidating the development and progress of Turkey in several domains. He also lauded the extraordinary efforts put in for building the bridge, stressing that such projects were iconic symbols for civilizations and progress, and the bases for further achievements, and highlighted the outstanding achievements and accomplishments by Turkey in the development and economic sectors and in the progress of its infrastructure under the leadership of President Erdoğan. HM the King expressed his pride in the strong relations and robust cooperation between Bahrain and Turkey in the economic, commercial and investment sectors as well as in in joint ventures, wishing both countries further progress and prosperity. The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, built above the northern Bosphorus Straight, is 1.4 kilometers long, 59 meters wide and boasts eight road lanes as well as two rail lines.Completed in only 27 months, is the widest bridge in the world. According to Turkish officials, quoted by local news site Yenisafak, it is estimated that the “longest suspension bridge to have a railway system" in the world will save $1.75 billion annually in terms of cutting travel time and reducing energy costs. Around 135,000 automobiles are expected to use the bridge each day. It was built as a part of the Northern Marmara Motorway Project, which has been planned in three phases. The first phase of the project has been completed with investments of around $3 billion. The other two phases will involve the construction of highways and link roads amounting to a total length of 257 km. They are expected to be completed and available for public use in 2018.