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Türkiye's transport minister has announced that 4,272 new bridges spanning 519 kilometers (322.5 miles) have been built across the country over the past 24 years, bringing the total number of bridges to 10,239 with a combined length of 830 kilometers.
Noting that physical obstacles to transportation have been eliminated one by one over the past 24 years, and that the structures built during this period have connected every corner of the country, Uraloglu recalled that in 2002, Türkiye had only 5,967 bridges with a combined length of 311 kilometers.
"Over the past 24 years, we built 4,272 new bridges spanning 519 kilometers, raising the total number of bridges to 10,239 and their combined length to 830 kilometers," the minister said. He added that if all of Türkiye's bridges were lined up end to end today, they would stretch as far as the distance from Ankara to Sanliurfa.
Noting that these bridges span valleys and rivers and connect cities, Uraloglu pointed out that Türkiye has surpassed not only physical obstacles to transportation but also engineering limits.
Uraloglu said the country has achieved several world firsts in this field and received international awards, recalling that the 1915 Canakkale Bridge, with its 2,023-meter (6,637 feet) main span, went down in history as the suspension bridge with the longest main span in the world.
Noting that the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge is also the longest suspension bridge carrying a rail system, Uraloglu said the Komurhan Bridge in Elazig was built with an inverted "Y"-shaped tower design and measures 660 meters in length.
Uraloglu said this structure ranks fourth in the world with its 168.5-meter single pylon and 380-meter central span.
He went on to describe the Egiste Hadimi Viaduct, designed with heights ranging from 42 to 166 meters and built using the balanced cantilever method on eight central and two side piers over a length of 1,372 meters, calling it Türkiye's tallest-piered and longest balanced cantilever bridge.
He also pointed to the steel archaeological bridge specially designed to protect the historic road and ruins found at the ancient city of Neonteikhos on the Menemen-Aliaga-Candarli Motorway, describing it as the first and only one of its kind in the world, built to preserve cultural heritage.
"This project won the 'Best Special Application Project of the Year Award' from the US-based National Corrugated Steel Pipe Association (NCSPA) in 2021," Uraloglu said.
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