President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday opened the first ever road tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul from Europe to Asia, the latest project in his plan of transforming Turkey's infrastructure.
The opening ceremony -- which brought together Turkey's entire ruling elite -- went ahead as planned despite the shock assassination of the Russian ambassador to Ankara by a Turkish policeman a day earlier.
Turkey in October 2013 opened the Marmaray rail tunnel underneath the iconic waterway, the first link beneath the waters that divide Europe and Asia.
But the new Avrasya (Eurasia) Tunnel is the first tunnel for cars underneath the Bosphorus and aims to relieve congestion in the traffic-clogged Turkish megacity.
Erdogan, after cutting the ceremonial ribbon, joined a vast cortege of vehicles making the first undersea car journey between the two continents.
'Won't divide this nation'
The assassination of Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov Monday was just the latest in a string of shocking acts of violence in Turkey this year.
But Erdogan vowed that his ambitions will not be derailed by the failed July 15 coup and the swathe of terror attacks Turkey has suffered in 2016.
"Subject us to as much terror as you want, bring in as many villains but you will never be able to divide this nation," he told thousands at the opening ceremony.
The tunnel required an investment of $1.2 billion (1.15 billion euros), including loans of $960 million, and will reduce driving time for the route from up to 2 hours to just 15 minutes.
It was built by a consortium consisting of private Turkish construction company Yapi Merkezi and South Korea's SK Group.
The project comprises a 5.4 kilometre (3.5 mile) tunnel, with the portion beneath the Bosphorus 3.4 kilometres long.
The two-storey tunnel was built with a special tunnel boring machine which had a daily progress speed of 8-10 metres (26-32 feet) on average.
With Istanbul lying on an active seismic zone, the tunnel has been designed to withstand a 7.5 magnitude earthquake.
"Praise be that we part of a country and a city that connects two continents," said Erdogan.
Erdogan said a trip through the tunnel would cost 15 lira ($4.25) until the end of the year, with all the revenues until then going to families of victims of the coup and those who helped defeat it.
'Won't stop there'
Turkish Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan told AFP ahead of the opening that it had been a "huge challenge" to build the tunnel at a depth of 106 metres under the seabed.
He revealed the authorities now planned to build a third tunnel under the Bosphorus that would have three storeys and carry both cars and trains.
"I think the Avrasya tunnel will hugely ease the lives of the residents of Istanbul," Arslan told AFP. "But we are not just going to stop there."
Erdogan has said he is aiming to build a "new Turkey" with transformed infrastructure in time for the 100th anniversary in 2023 of the foundation of the modern state by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Other schemes, which Erdogan boasts are his "crazy projects", include a gigantic third airport for Istanbul, the first ever bridge across the Dardanelles straits and even a Suez-style shipping canal for Istanbul.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced at the tunnel's inauguration ceremony that the new airport would open on February 26, 2018.
Just one month after the attempted coup, Erdogan opened the third bridge across the Bosphorus named after the mediaeval sultan Selim the Grim.
Suggestions for the naming of the new tunnel included Ataturk and the late-period Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II, an arch-conservative whose reputation has undergone a major revival in Turkey in recent years.
But the authorities have settled on the far less politically loaded Avrasya Tunnel, despite a high-profile campaign by officials for the public to submit names.
AFP
Tue Dec 20 2016
![Erdogan opens first road tunnel under Istanbul's Bosphorus Erdogan opens first road tunnel under Istanbul's Bosphorus](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2016-12/71482242631_TurkeyTunnel.jpg)
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spearheaded a drive to build new stadiums, airports, bridges and tunnels across Turkey, including Istanbul's latest mega-project: the first-ever road tunnel linking the city's European, Asian. - AFP Photo/Ozan Kose
![Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-12/61703329565_TBBERITAx.jpg)
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Selasa, 16 Julai 2024.
![Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/71709993909_TBBERITAx.jpg)
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
![Ekonomi China teruskan momentum pemulihan Ekonomi China teruskan momentum pemulihan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-01/71674060668_ChinaPopulation.jpg)
Ekonomi China teruskan momentum pemulihan
Ekonomi China meneruskan momentum pemulihan dan trend perkembangan ke arah baik dengan operasinya kekal stabil secara keseluruhannya pada separuh pertama tahun ini.
![PPZ-MAIWP catat RM511 juta kutipan zakat tahun ini, naik 10 peratus PPZ-MAIWP catat RM511 juta kutipan zakat tahun ini, naik 10 peratus](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/61714481430_TBNAIM.jpg)
PPZ-MAIWP catat RM511 juta kutipan zakat tahun ini, naik 10 peratus
PPZ-MAIWP mencatat kutipan zakat sebanyak RM511 juta dari Januari hingga Jun tahun ini dengan peningkatan sebanyak 10 peratus berbanding tempoh sama pada 2023.
![Empat terbunuh, puluhan cedera dalam protes antikuota di Bangladesh Empat terbunuh, puluhan cedera dalam protes antikuota di Bangladesh](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/71721144143_TBBANGLADESHCAMPUS.jpg)
Empat terbunuh, puluhan cedera dalam protes antikuota di Bangladesh
Abu Sayeed, seorang daripada penyelaras dan pelajar di Universiti Begum Rokeya di Rangpur utara, terbunuh semasa pertempuran dengan polis.
![28 orang termasuk 5 orang awam, 10 askar, terbunuh dalam tempoh 24 jam di Pakistan 28 orang termasuk 5 orang awam, 10 askar, terbunuh dalam tempoh 24 jam di Pakistan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721144906_TBMAPBANNU.jpg)
28 orang termasuk 5 orang awam, 10 askar, terbunuh dalam tempoh 24 jam di Pakistan
Tentera menuding jari kepada kumpulan Hafiz Gul Bahadur dari Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) yang diharamkan.
![Misi ekonomi produk agrikomoditi ke India perkukuh hubungan dua hala Misi ekonomi produk agrikomoditi ke India perkukuh hubungan dua hala](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721130378_JohariAbdulGhani.jpg)
Misi ekonomi produk agrikomoditi ke India perkukuh hubungan dua hala
KPK akan mengadakan Misi Ekonomi Produk Agrikomoditi Malaysia ke India pada 17-18 Julai ini.
![Golongan belia pemacu penting bentuk masa depan industri pembuatan Malaysia - FMM Golongan belia pemacu penting bentuk masa depan industri pembuatan Malaysia - FMM](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-05/41715247870_SohThianLaijpg.jpg)
Golongan belia pemacu penting bentuk masa depan industri pembuatan Malaysia - FMM
Pemimpin perniagaan dan usahawan daripada golongan belia merupakan pemacu penting yang akan membentuk masa depan industri pembuatan Malaysia, kata Presiden Persekutuan Pekilang-Pekilang Malaysia.
AWANI Tonight: 16 July 2024
#AWANITonight with @Hafiz_Marzukhi
1. Govt mulls amending Penal Code to deal with cyberbullying
2. England's Southgate resigns after Euro 2024 Final defeat
#AWANIEnglish #AWANINews
1. Govt mulls amending Penal Code to deal with cyberbullying
2. England's Southgate resigns after Euro 2024 Final defeat
#AWANIEnglish #AWANINews
![9,241 pelajar Palestin terbunuh dalam serangan Israel sejak 7 Oktober 9,241 pelajar Palestin terbunuh dalam serangan Israel sejak 7 Oktober](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-06/81718630490_Smokerises.jpg)
9,241 pelajar Palestin terbunuh dalam serangan Israel sejak 7 Oktober
9,318 pelajar terbunuh dan 14,671 lagi cedera di Semenanjung Gaza manakala di Tebing Barat, 103 pelajar terbunuh dan 505 lagi cedera.