Minister of Transport, Communications and Maritime Navigation Ahmet Arslan revealed the course of the Istanbul Canal project, which was launched by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan when he was prime minister as one of his goals to reach the new Turkey in 2023. Minister Arslan said in a press statement that after evaluating all the geological studies and earthquake hazards in cooperation with Turkish universities and international experts, the fourth alternative route was determined to pass from the areas of Küçükçekmece, Sazlıdere and Durusu. He pointed out that the length of the canal will reach 45 km, and will start from Küçükçekmece lake and continue north through the Sazlıdere dam and then reach the Black Sea east of the Terkos Dam in the village of Durusu in Çatalca In Istanbul. Arslan pointed out that this project aims to reduce the pressure on the Bosphorus Strait, which naturally connects between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. According to Turkish statistics, 137 cargo ships and 27 tankers carrying 150 million tons of commercial cargo will cross the Canal, as well as the establishment of three islands from the excavation of the new Istanbul Canal, estimated at 2.7 billion cubic meters.
Turkey unveils the “most appropriate” route for Canal Istanbul Project
