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The Istanbul Governor's Office announced that several main roads on the European and Asian sides of the city will be closed to traffic on Sunday due to the Istanbul Marathon and that alternative routes will be made available for drivers.
The closures will start in stages at 3.00 a.m. and 6.00 a.m. on Nov. 2 (Sunday) and will remain in place until the official program is completed.
The statement underlined that traffic arriving at the July 15 Martyrs Bridge and the D-100 highway will be redirected.
According to the statement, the first stage of closures will begin at 03.00 a.m.
At that hour, the following access points will be shut down to secure the marathon route and the bridge approaches:
These locations are mainly entry ramps that feed the D-100 (one of Istanbul’s main east–west roads) and the bridge line. By blocking them, the authorities aim to keep the marathon corridor free of private vehicles.
For these 03:00 closures, the Governor's Office also set redirections. Traffic coming from the O-1 southern route toward the July 15 Martyrs Bridge will be completely cut and sent to the Buyukdere–Balmumcu/Levent–Sariyer separation. Flows from the Sabiha Gokcen exits will be diverted to the Camlica connection road.
Vehicles arriving from Camlica toll booths will be sent toward Unalan–Atasehir–Camlica.
Drivers in Yildiz Posta and Esentepe will be forced to follow the designated direction, while flows from Fulya will have to proceed to Sariyer.
Traffic toward Besiktas will also be compulsory.
From 06.00 onwards, wider and more central closures will take effect. At this hour, the following roads and all streets feeding into them will be closed:
This second group of closures covers the historical and touristic core of Istanbul, including the coastal route between Sarayburnu and Bakirkoy, the approaches to Sirkeci, the bridges that connect Eminonu and Karakoy, and the main roads around Sultanahmet.
The statement said that the Eurasia Tunnel, which links the European and Asian sides under the Bosphorus, will also be closed in both directions for the duration of the program.
To prevent congestion, the Governor's Office listed several alternative routes that will stay open while the marathon is in progress. Drivers will be able to use:
These alternatives provide north–south and east–west connections around the closed zones and will allow residents, tourists, and expatriates to move without entering the marathon security perimeter.
The statement noted that traffic redirections would remain in force “until the program is completed.”
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