1915çanakkale bridge in turkey will be the world's longest span suspension bridge

construction work is moving ahead on the ‘1915çanakkale’ bridge, which, once complete, will be the world’s longest span suspension bridge. connecting the towns of gelibolu (gallipoli) on the european side of turkey with lapseki on the asian side, the bridge will provide a new heavy transit alternative to the istanbul strait passage. it is hoped that this will result in faster and more cost-effective freight transport to the region, as well as strengthened economic potential and social bonds for the local community. once complete, the bridge will have a total length of 4,608 meters (15,118 ft), a central span of 2,023 meters (6,637 ft), and a total bridge tower height of 318 meters (1,043 ft).

all images and video courtesy of marr contracting

an international team including australians, turks, koreans, dutch, japanese, iranians, filipinos and brits is working together under strict COVID-19 restrictions, each day traveling between the workfront and their lockdown accommodation near gelibolu. during construction of the 1915çanakkale bridge, australian-based heavy lifting tower crane specialists, marr contracting — also known as ‘the men from marr’s’ — has completed a world-record lift.

the record-breaking construction feat saw one of marr’s M2480D heavy lift luffers (HLL) ­– which with a lifting capacity of 330 tonnes is the world’s largest capacity tower crane — undertake the world’s heaviest (155 tonnes) at height (318 meters) craneage lift on what will be the world’s longest span suspension bridge. with the M2480D crane perched 328 meters above the water, it took approximately 30 minutes to lift a 155-tonne piece of the upper cross beam (UCB) to its position 318 meters above sea level.

marr contracting worked with the DLSY (daelim – limak – SK E&C – yapı merkezi) project team to develop a craneage methodology that makes use of the M2480D HLL crane’s capacity to lift heavier modularized components instead of the more traditional approach of lifting smaller components one-by-one and then welding on-site. two of marr’s M2480D cranes have been on-site since 2019 constructing the bridge’s 318-meter high towers, and through fewer lifts of larger pieces the craneage solution has reduced the construction schedule, with fewer site-based activities and a higher level of on-site safety.

the turkish government named the bridge in honor and remembrance of the ‘çanakkale wars’ (1915-1916) that took place between turkish and allied forces during world war I on the same shores that the bridge is now being built. the men from marr’s scope of work on the project is set to be completed before january 2021 with the bridge scheduled to open on march 18, 2022.

rendering illustrating the anticipated appearance of the completed bridge

project info:

name: 1915çanakkale bridge
location: çanakkale, turkey
status: scheduled to open on march 18, 2022