About Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge
The 58m wide and 322m tall suspension bridge is the fifth tallest in the world and its standing is a testament to the massive construction work put in over three years. The aim of the project was to ease traffic through Istanbul by creating a third bridge for passing trains in two directions and cars over the eight-lane highway, while creating a comfortable driving experience. It is also part of a grand project to provide the appropriate, visually pleasing infrastructure that will make Istanbul a large international center of trade, as its white pillars and cables stand out along the Bosphorus with large amounts of greenery on the surrounding slopes.
Connecting different parts of Istanbul which will likely bring about new urban developments means that sustainability was important in this project; soil erosion was prevented by the hydroseeding of nearby banks and the removal of trees for construction of the bridge was aided by the planting of 300,000 new plants.