Bosphorus Bridge (1973) in Istanbul, connecting Europe and Asia. Crosses Bosphorus strait Locale Istanbul Designer Sir Gilbert Roberts and William Brown Design Suspension bridge Material Steel Total length 1,560 m (5,118 ft)[1] Width 33.40 m (110 ft)[1] Height 165 m (541 ft)[1] Longest span 1,074 m (3,524 ft)[1] Vertical clearance 64 m (210 ft)[1] Construction begin 20 February 1970 Construction end 1 June 1973 Opened 30 October 1973 Daily traffic 200,000 [2] Coordinates 41°02′43″N 29°02′04″ECoordinates: 41°02′43″N 29°02′04″E Bosphorus Bridge is located in Istanbul Bosphorus BridgeBosphorus Bridge Location of Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey The Bosphorus Bridge, also called the First Bosphorus Bridge or simply the First Bridge (Turkish: Boğaziçi Köprüsü, 1. Boğaziçi Köprüsü or Birinci Köprü) is one of two suspension bridges spanning the Bosphorus strait (Turkish: Boğaziçi) in Istanbul, Turkey; thus connecting Europe and Asia (the other one is the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, which is called the Second Bosphorus Bridge.) The bridge is located between Ortaköy (on the European side) and Beylerbeyi (on the Asian side). It is a gravity anchored suspension bridge with steel towers and inclined hangers.[1] The aerodynamic deck hangs on zigzag steel cables. It is 1,560 m (5,118 ft)[1] long with a deck width of 33.40 m (110 ft).[1] The distance between the towers (main span) is 1,074 m (3,524 ft)[1] and the total height of the towers is 165 m (541 ft).[1] The clearance of the bridge from sea level is 64 m (210 ft).[1] The Bosphorus Bridge was the 4th longest suspension bridge span in the world (and the longest outside the United States) when it was completed in 1973. At present, it is the 22nd longest suspension bridge span in the world. Since April 2007, a fully computerized LED lighting system of changing colours and patterns, developed by Philips, illuminates the bridge at night. The idea of a bridge crossing the Bosphorus dates back to antiquity. For Emperor Darius I The Great of Persia (522 BC - 485 BC), as recorded by the Greek writer Herodotus in his Histories, Mandrocles of Samos once engineered a pontoon bridge that stretched across the Bosphorus, linking Asia to Europe, so that Darius could pursue the fleeing Scythians as well as move his army into position in the Balkans to overwhelm Macedon.[3] The first project for a permanent bridge across the Bosphorus was proposed to Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II by the Bosphorus Railroad Company in 1900, which included a rail link between the continents.[4] The decision to build a bridge across the Bosphorus was taken in 1957 by Prime Minister Adnan Menderes. For the structural engineering work, a contract was signed with the British firm Freeman Fox & Partners in 1968. The bridge was designed by the renowned British civil engineers Sir Gilbert Roberts and William Brown who also designed the Humber Bridge, Severn Bridge, Forth Road Bridge, Auckland Harbour Bridge and the Volta River Bridge. The construction started in February 1970, the ceremonies were attended by President Cevdet Sunay and Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel and was carried out by the Turkish firm Enka Construction & Industry Co. along with the co-contractors Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company. (England) and Hochtief AG (Germany). Thirty-five engineers and 400 men worked on the project. The bridge was completed on 30 October 1973, one day after the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey, and opened by President Fahri Korutürk and Prime Minister Naim Talu. The cost of the bridge was US$200 million ($1.06 billion in 2014 dollars[5]). At the time the bridge was opened, much was made of its being the first bridge between Europe and Asia since the pontoon bridge of Xerxes in 480 BCE. That bridge, however, spanned the Hellespont (Dardanelles), some distance away from the Bosphorus. via 500px http://j.mp/1sc7xqm
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