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Sivas is building cafes, restaurants, walking paths, and sports and culture areas along its stretch of the Kizilirmak, Türkiye’s longest river, in a four-stage project launched by the municipality to bring the waterway into the city’s social life and tourism.
The first stage, covering 65,000 square meters in the area where the historic Egri Bridge is located, is planned to be completed within this year.
Sivas Mayor Adem Uzun, who inspected the work on site, told reporters that the project includes sports areas, museums, education, entertainment and walking areas, and food and beverage venues.
Saying they aim to turn the Kizilirmak into a tourist destination for the city, Uzun said the site will also be a place where fellow citizens spend time with their families in the evening.
“Sivas will go through a transformation with the Kizilirmak project,” he said. “Eskisehir went through a transformation with the Porsuk project, and Sivas will do the same with the Kizilirmak project.”
Stressing that work on the project is moving quickly, Uzun said they will have the place pulled together by around the end of the year. “We will open it at the end of May next year and make it available for the city’s tourism and for our citizens,” he said.
Explaining that the project area is 65,000 square meters, Uzun said it is an investment of ₺239 million.
“God willing, after we complete the first stage, we will start the second stage next year,” he said. “In fact, we started the filling work this year. Next year, we will begin the superstructure.”
Uzun said one of the places he cares about most in the project is the historic Egri Bridge. “It connects the first and second stages, and this 800-year-old bridge will come to light with the Kizilirmak project,” he said.
He added that they will illuminate the bridge and make it one of the first stops for tourists and guests coming to the city.
Uzun said the site belongs to the Regional Directorate of Highways and that the necessary talks are under way. “We had our project prepared and submitted it to them,” he said. “We received their preliminary approval and presented it to the board.”
He said the project will be submitted to the board by the Directorate of Highways in the coming days, with a protocol to be signed following approval. The design and construction will belong to the Sivas Municipality, he noted.
Concluding his remarks, Uzun said the Kizilirmak project will drive a major transformation in Sivas and create a key tourism destination.
Sivas is changing and gaining value as it grows more beautiful, he said, adding that the administration aims to bring the city and its citizens to a much better place.
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