Yeşildere Intersection: The Traffic Hub of Izmir

Located at the intersection of many districts in the center of Izmir, the Yeşildere Bridge Intersection gives drivers who use its route an experience similar to ‘Survivor’. The chaos experienced at the intersection, where thousands of vehicles pass every day and dozens of accidents occur, creates difficult moments for drivers. The 200-meter diameter Yeşildere Bridge Intersection, which is one of Turkey’s largest intersections and located in Konak, Izmir, started construction in 2012 and was completed in 2015. Thousands of vehicles pass through this intersection every day. Since its opening, the intersection on Yeşildere Street, which is one of the busiest points of the city and used for transitions to districts such as Buca, Konak, Bayraklı, and Gaziemir, has become a road where drivers demonstrate their abilities.

The Difficulty of Traffic at the Intersection

There is constant chaos at the intersection. Especially during the morning rush hours for work and in the evenings during the end of office hours, there is congestion, and sometimes arguments occur among the drivers in traffic. The intersection provides a ‘Survivor’ adventure for the drivers living in the city. Drivers who come to the intersection and want to transition to their destination route face the danger of accidents. Moments where drivers have difficulty progressing at the intersection throughout the day, and where numerous accidents have occurred since its opening, have been captured from the air.

Vedat Yunus, a driver commuting to work in the morning traffic, said, ‘They have built a very dangerous intersection here. There is no lighting, vehicles enter from the sides, and it is a very dangerous road. We try to pass according to our skills. Motorcycles, cars have accidents. There are accidents when entering the tunnel. We constantly experience difficulties. I think it would be good if lighting is installed here.’

Ege Yıldırım Can, who commutes to work and occasionally mentions having been in accidents, said, ‘They jump in front of us, increasing the risk of accidents for us. There are generally accidents. They jump from the far left lane to the far right lane and enter the tunnel. I had to turn the steering wheel to avoid an accident due to a driver who jumped from the far right lane to the far left lane.’ Driver Murat Balcı, who came from Aydın to Izmir, stated, ‘We see that the signboards are in a confusing situation for people. An underpass or lighting could be installed.’