£2bn suspension bridge that’s world’s longest – connects 2 continents | World | News

A £2billion bridge that connects two continents takes just six minutes to traverse by car and is the world’s longest in the world. The suspension bridge connects Europe and Asia and spans a staggering 2,023 metres. The bridge has only been open for four years, and took the title from the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan.

The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge opened on March 18, 2022 in northwest Turkey. One end of the bridge can be found in Gelibolu, Turkey, which is based on the European side of the country, and crosses over to the Asian town of Lapseki. The town of Lapseki is also based in Turkey, but falls on the side of the country that is in the continent of Asia.

The country has a continental boundary is drawn directly through Istanbul via the Bosporus Strait and the Sea of Marmara. It means that the bridge, which is longer than the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge by 32 metres, connects the two continents together within the same country.

Since the bridge has been opened, 90-minute ferry trips can be avoided. The bridge’s name and length pay homage to the country.

The 1915 reference is to the Ottoman victory in the First World War, a defeat for Britain which eventually led to the declaration of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. The 2,203 metres span is a nod to the year 2023, when Turkey honoured the centenary of the founding of the republic.

Turkey’s President Erdogan previously revealed the mammoth bridge cost €2.5billion (just over £2billion). He said: “Turkey has overtaken Japan, which has the longest bridge in the world in terms of midspan, and has taken the place.”

Speaking further after the completion of the project, Erdogan added: “Canakkale, which has been the apple of the eyes of various civilizations, cultures and societies for thousands of years, embraces a brand new future today.

“We have come together to inaugurate the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, which we see as a ruby necklace over the Canakkale Strait.”