ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated the first ever road tunnel linking the city’s European and Asian sides under the Bosphorus Strait.
The mega project, which will be opened to the public on December 20, will cut down the travel time to 15 minutes from 100 minutes.
President Erdogan, was accompanied by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan, made the first journey from the Asian side to the European side.
The construction of the tunnel began in February 2011. Travel across the two sides of Istanbul will be cut down to 15 minutes from 100 minutes, the presidency said on its website.
The tunnel is the latest in a series of key infrastructure projects in Istanbul including the city’s third airport due to open in the second quarter of 2018.
On the occasion, the Turkish President directed the minister to provide relief to the people.
