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The Turkish government has started the tender process for the development of the new highway PPP project connecting Istanbul to the northern Aegean region.

The project involves the Malkara-Çanakkale section of the Kinali-Tekirdag-Çanakkale-Savastepe highway, including the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge. 

The Kinali-Tekirdag-Canakkale-Savastepe Highway will connect Istanbul with the Aegean province of Balikesir through a bridge over Çanakkale. The highway willl have a total lenght of 324 km, excluding the bridge and will be built under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. 

Construction of the 3.7-km 1915 Canakkale Suspension Bridge is expected to start on March 18, 2017 with an estimated initial budget of TRY10 billion (US$3.16 billion). The 1915 Çanakkale Suspension Bridge  will be one of the longest suspension bridges in the world by length of central span. According to sources, the toll fee for the bridge will be 15 euros plus value added tax. 

According to sources, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that the bidders setting the shortest period of construction will win the tender. Contracting companies from Japan, Korea, China and Turkey are taking interest in the project. The tender process is scheduled to start in January 26, 2017.