Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdülkadir Uraloğlu announces a new highway project for Bursa

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdülkadir Uraloğlu stated that the Istanbul-Izmir highway will no longer pass through the ring road in the city center of Bursa, mentioning that a new highway of about 40 kilometers will be built. It will be a highway that will include the passage through Bursa. Coming from Istanbul, passing the Osmangazi Bridge and entering Bursa, without reaching the existing ring road, it will separate from the north, embrace Bursa, and head towards the direction of Susurluk. We have started this project and we will complete it.
Speaking on a special agenda program on TGRT News, Minister Uraloğlu pointed out that the Osmangazi Bridge and the Istanbul-Izmir Highway have made significant contributions to traffic, reducing a journey that used to take 8.5 hours to 3.5 hours. Minister Uraloğlu reminded that the daily guaranteed passage on the Osmangazi Bridge is 40 thousand vehicles, and today an average of 60 thousand vehicles use the bridge. He also mentioned that during the holiday period between April 4-14, a record was broken with 2 million 857 thousand 657 vehicles passing through the highway.
Minister Uraloğlu stated that the Osmangazi Bridge was opened in 2016 and emphasized the significant reduction in travel time from Istanbul to Izmir, from 8.5 hours to now 3 to 3.5 hours. He explained that without this bridge and highway, the journey would have taken 12 hours. Regarding public investments, Minister mentioned different methods such as the construction of the Ankara-Izmir highway with external loans, sections funded from the national budget between Kapıkule-Çerkezköy, and the build-operate-transfer model. He emphasized the importance of making realistic plans based on projected traffic to determine toll fees. He stated that the guaranteed number of passages on the Osmangazi Bridge is 40 thousand, but currently, there is an average of 60 thousand daily passages, exceeding the expected amount.
Minister Uraloğlu highlighted that Bursa is the busiest region on the Istanbul-Izmir highway, with daily vehicle crossings exceeding 100 thousand. He mentioned the initiation of a second highway project from the north to solve the congestion in Bursa. A new highway of about 40 kilometers will be built to cover the passage through Bursa. Starting from Istanbul, passing the Osmangazi Bridge and entering Bursa near Ovakça, it will separate from the north without reaching the existing ring road, embrace Bursa, and connect towards Susurluk. He stated that this project will relieve the traffic in that area.
Minister Uraloğlu emphasized the increasing importance of Bursa with the relaxation of railway transportation. He mentioned a project that will connect Bursa via Eskişehir. He also pointed out the Ankara-Bursa high-speed train project, which will provide a connection for high-speed trains from Istanbul to Izmir in the future.