In Istanbul, the third bridge over the Bosphorus Strait has been opened

Istanbul - With great pomp, accompanied by the national anthem and words from the Quran, the third bridge over the Bosporus Strait was opened in Istanbul. The ceremonial event was attended by Turkish politicians, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, as well as several statesmen from the Balkans, the Middle East, and Asia. This was reported by the DPA agency.

The bridge, named after Sultan Selim I the Grim, who ruled the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, is another connection between the European and Asian parts of Istanbul. In the middle of the 2.2-kilometer-long and 59-meter-wide bridge run a pair of railway tracks, with a four-lane highway on either side.

The bridge, located north of the two existing bridges over the Bosporus, was built in three years at a cost of three billion dollars (about 72 billion crowns).

The festive opening of the bridge, which was broadcast live on television, was attended by the King of Bahrain, President of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, and politicians from Pakistan, Georgia, and Serbia.

According to the Turkish government, at least 135,000 vehicles are expected to cross the bridge every day. The toll for crossing the bridge is approximately 70 crowns, but only when traveling from the European part to the Asian part. According to the Daily Sabah newspaper, no toll is charged in the opposite direction.