Izmir bridge tested in wind tunnel

Transportation, Maritime and Communications Minister Binali Yildirim who has traveled to Milan, Italy watched a wind-tunnel test for a prospective bridge crossing over Izmit Bay as part of the Gebze-Orhangazi-Izmir Highway build-operate-transfer project and said the bridge was not affected by strong winds of up to 230 km/h. Yildirim said that seven transportation projects were currently under way in Istanbul: the third airport, the Eurasia tunnel, the Marmaray rail tube tunnel, the Ankara-Istanbul fast train, a third bridge on the Bosporus, the Izmir-Istanbul highway and Canal Istanbul. Yildirim stated that preparations for a third airport in Istanbul were almost done and its location has been finalized. "It will have a capacity of 150 million passengers [per year]. The first part will be completed in three years time. The second part will be finished after the airport is opened," Yildirim added.