Arup, Aas-Jakobsen to verify design of the world’s longest bridge in Turkey

UK-headquartered consulting engineer Arup and Norway’s Dr Ing A Aas-Jakobsen AS (Aas-Jakobsen) have been appointed to carry out the independent design verification for Turkey’s 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, set to become the world’s longest suspension bridge. 

With a length of 2.023km and tower height of 318m, the bridge will cross the strait of the Dardanelles to connect the Asian and European continents as part of a new highway between Kınalı and Savaştepe.

They will help overcome complex geotechnical engineering challenges brought by the bridge’s location in a seismic zone, and will also advise on aerodynamic stability for safety. 

The team offer their knowledge of long-span bridge design and structural and geotechnical engineering to the joint venture building the bridge: companies Daelim, Limak, SK and Yapı Merkezi. 

They will report to the General Directorate of Highways, Turkey’s ministry of transport infrastructure, and the bridge’s developer, Çanakkale Motorway Bridge Construction Investment Management Inc.

Matt Carter, Arup’s Global Bridge Skills Leader, said: "The record-breaking 1915 Çanakkale Bridge demonstrates our commitment to push the boundaries of what is possible to shape a better world. Through close collaboration, our world-class specialists have helped our client to overcome the highly complex challenges associated with an exceptional bridge of this length and technical complexity."

For Aas-Jakobsen, bridge department head Svein Erik Jakobsen said: "The record span explores the boundary of current suspension bridge design. We are very pleased to be part of this project and contribute with our expert knowledge in aerodynamics, suspension systems and deck structure for long span bridges."

Photograph: The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge over the Dardanelles will be just over 2km long (Çanakkale Motorway Bridge Construction Investment Management Inc.)