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Plans for a new cross-border bridge between Türkiye and Greece have reportedly entered a decisive stage after Greek company Egnatia Odos SA delivered the final study and design to Ankara.
The project, known as the "Friendship Bridge", will run across the Meric (Evros) River at the Kipi–Ipsala crossing and is expected to be completed around 2027.
Egnatia CEO Konstantinos Koutsoukos said work that began in 2006 accelerated in recent years.
“In the last four years, it had entered a very intense phase, and, as a result, we are delighted to announce that, after four years of tension between the two sides, we can hand over the final study and design of the new bridge at Kipi,” he told Greek Reporter.
A 3D model published by the project team shows how the structure is expected to look once finished.
The bridge will span 400 meters over the Meric River as a cabled structure.
It will have four lanes, two on each side, and a width of more than 30 meters (1,312.34 feet). Both sources describe it as a major improvement for road safety and cross-border mobility.
Egnatia SA expects to finalize tender documentation on the Greek side in the coming months, in line with the agreement between the two countries. Türkiye will complete the same process on its side. If this timeline holds, both sides will move forward with selecting contractors for construction.
Governments plan to form a joint supervision team once work begins. It will include officials from Greece’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation and Türkiye’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
The project was awarded in 2022 to the engineering firms Egis and Mavrakis & Partners in Greece. The bridge will sit further downstream from the existing Ipsala-Kipi Bridge and will operate as a complementary structure.
Türkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said the current Ipsala-Kipi Bridge was built in 1958.
He noted that inspections did not reveal structural problems, but the bridge can no longer meet growing traffic levels. Increased vehicle flows and tourist numbers are cited as key factors behind the need for a second crossing.
The "Friendship Bridge" will form part of future pan-European Corridor IV and serve as a link between Europe and Asia. Officials say it will include a main span and two landing bridges.
On the Greek side, it will integrate into the Egnatia–Thessaloniki–Kipi motorway. On the Turkish side, it will connect to the Ipsala–Istanbul route.
The project grew out of an intergovernmental agreement that Türkiye and Greece signed in Istanbul in 2006.
Officials approved the current plan during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 2023 visit to Athens. Construction was expected to start in 2024 but progressed more slowly due to the pace of technical work.
Once completed, the bridge will support smoother movement of passengers and freight between the two countries and reduce congestion at one of the busiest land borders in the region.
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