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The Longest Suspension Bridge In The World Just Opened
Humanity continues to advance its engineering prowess
On March 18th, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan oversaw a ceremony commemorating the opening of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge. The suspension bridge links Europe and Asia by way of the Dardanelles. At the time of its completion, it is the longest suspension bridge in the world.
The bridge has been hailed as a milestone in engineering and infrastructure. The new road will link two busy parts of Turkey and eliminate a headache-inducing commute for many who previously had to pack onto cramped ferries. The ferries were prone to delays and could often stretch a 30-minute commute into a 5-hour ordeal for average Turkish citizens. Now the stretch of water can be driven in just 6 minutes.
The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge is the first crossing over the Dardanelles Strait in history.
What’s In a Name?
Interestingly enough, the bridge is named for a naval battle that took place during the Allied Gallipoli campaign during World War I. The name of the bridge features the year of the battle in which Ottoman naval forces defeated a combined force of British and French warships. It is interesting that this battle still lives in Turkish memory as World War I was an overall disaster for the former Ottoman Empire which evaporated after the ultimate defeat.
Turkey is a part of NATO and the modern Turkish state did not emerge until a struggle in the 1920s (also featuring Britain and France). Turkey is supposed to be close to the West and act as a bridge between Europe and Asia so it is interesting that President Erdoğan would name the world’s longest suspension bridge for such a battle. The battle did take place in the vicinity of the bridge.
By The Numbers
By all accounts the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge is massive. It stretches a total length of 15,118 feet with its longest clear span measuring 6,637 feet which is well over a mile. Both of these lengths are the longest in the world.
