Istanbul Canal Project is the name of the new Turkish project of the artificial sea-level waterway, which is proposed to be built by the Republic of Turkey on the European side of Turkey, connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and thus to the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
The most challenging part of the canal Istanbul project, an artificial sea-level waterway that will change the face of the city. By late 2017 or early 2018, it commenced.
The choice of routes that will have the least impact on the environment, fresh water sources and land used for agriculture as well as the foundations.
Work started on the canal in 2013, and so far, 162,000 boreholes have been drilled and foundations laid for the Canal Istanbul project that will be 43 kilometers (26 miles) and divert tankers away from the Bosporus which is at risk from over trafficking.
The canal is just one of many mega projects taking place in Istanbul that also includes the world’s largest airport that will likewise open in 2018.
The artificial channel will run between the Marmara and Black sea and at a width of 145 meters and depth of 25 meters
Istanbul will gain a new island, a new city and six bridges will direct traffic over the channel. The estimated completion date is 2023.
The idea for canal Istanbul was born out of a need to end traffic in the Bosporus straits which is at danger of over pollution and collusion between ships. About 56,000 vessels pass through the Bosporus straits that have for many centuries been an important trading route for the rest of the world. About 10,000 of those ships are crude oil tankers.
The History of canal Istanbul
This is not the first time that such an ambitious project has been suggested. Mimar Sinan, the most famous Ottoman architect, drew up plans in the 16th century, but the project never started because of the cost and tremendous amount of work needed. Many more suggestions and ideas were put forward over the next centuries, of which none bore fruit.
The Media and president have both called the canal Istanbul, the “Crazy Project,” indicating the detailed organizations, skills, and planning that would be needed to complete it. The government has also said that it is a project touching on every level of society including energy, employment, transport, and education but in the meantime, real estate investors still speculate as to how the canal will change the housing market of Istanbul.
Responding to environmental concerns, the government said they are environmentalists themselves, and by directing traffic load away from the Bosporus, they are preserving nature and flora and fauna of Istanbul. Such is their aim to clean up the Bosporus from pollution; they envisage it as a water sports destination in the future.
17/01/2024
