The Bosphorus Bridge also called the First Bosphorus Bridge (Turkish: Boğaziçi Köprüsü or 1. Boğaziçi Köprüsü) is a bridge in Istanbul, Turkey spanning the Bosphorus strait (Turkish: Boğaziçi). The bridge is located between Ortaköy (European side) and Beylerbeyi (Asian side). It is a gravity anchored suspension bridge with steel pylons and inclined hangers. The aerodynamic deck is hanging on zigzag steel cables. It is 1,510 m long with a deck width of 39 m. The distance between the towers (main span) is 1,074 m (World rank 2004: 12th) and their height over road level is 105 m. The clearance of the bridge from the sea level is 64 m. Shows the Location of the Province Istanbul The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul Istanbul (Turkish: Ä°stanbul) (a Turkish contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... Fatih Sultan Mehmed Bridge over the Bosporus seen from over Rumelihisarı This article is about the strait; Bosphorus is also a Turkish Boğaziçi or İstanbul Boğazı) is a strait that separates the European part (Rumeli) of Turkey from its Asian part (Anadolu), connecting the Sea of Marmara (Marmara Denizi) with... Simplified diagram A strait is a narrow channel of water that connects two larger bodies of water, and thus lies between two land masses. ... This article is about the continent. ... Geographically and technically, both Asian and Asiatic indicates a person, place, thing, or idea original to Asia. ... A suspension bridge is a type of bridge that has been made since ancient times. ... Aerodynamics is a branch of fluid dynamics concerned with the study of gas flows, first analysed by George Cayley in the 1800s. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Image:Istanbul panaroma.jpg Image File history File links Istanbul_panaroma. ...

Thick but fluid traffic driving down the bridge across the Bosphorus (Istanbul, March 2005)

The decision to build a bridge across the Bosphorus was taken in 1957 by Prime Minister Adnan Menderes. For the structural engineering work, a contract was signed with the British firm Freeman Fox & Partners in 1968. The designer was the Englishman Gilbert Roberts. The construction started in February 1970, the ceremonies were attended by President Cevdet Sunay and Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel. The construction was carried out by the Turkish firm Enka Construction & Industry Co. along with the co-contractors Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Co. Ltd. (England) and Hochtief AG (Germany). 35 engineers and 400 men worked on the project. It was completed on October 30, 1973, one day after the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey, and opened by President Fahri Korutürk and Prime Minister Naim Talu. Ernest Frederick, a civil engineer working for the US government and stationed in Turkey at the time, was the first American to cross the bridge. American comedian and Ambassador for UNICEF Danny Kaye, dressed like a clown, followed him with a pack of Turkish children. As a huge crowd of people started to run after them, the bridge came in vibration, and the crowd had to be held back to avoid any damage. The cost of the bridge amounted to USD 200 million. Download high resolution version (1280x960, 204 KB)Thick but fluid traffic driving down the bridge in Istanbul. ... Download high resolution version (1280x960, 204 KB)Thick but fluid traffic driving down the bridge in Istanbul. ... Fatih Sultan Mehmed Bridge over the Bosporus seen from over Rumelihisarı This article is about the strait; Bosphorus is also a Turkish Boğaziçi or İstanbul Boğazı) is a strait that separates the European part (Rumeli) of Turkey from its Asian part (Anadolu), connecting the Sea of Marmara (Marmara Denizi) with... Shows the Location of the Province Istanbul The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul Istanbul (Turkish: Ä°stanbul) (a Turkish contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister A prime minister is a politician who serves as the head of the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Adnan Menderes Adnan Menderes (1899–1961) was one of the most famous Turkish politician and Prime minister of Turkey between 1950–1960. ... All the textbooks define a contract as either a promise or an agreement that is enfored or recognised by the law. ... Hyder Consulting is a planning, engineering, environmental and management consultancy that works in the public and private sectors to develop complex buildings and infrastructure. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... Cevdet Sunay was a Turkish army officer, political leader and the 5th president of Turkey. ... Süleyman Demirel with French president Jacques Chirac Süleyman Demirel (born November 1, 1924) is a Turkish politician who served as prime minister five times and was the 9th President of Turkey. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Fahri Korutürk was a Turkish navy officer, political leader and 6th president of Turkey. ... UNICEF logo The United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946. ... Kaye entertaining U.S. troops at Sasebo, Japan, 25 Oct 1945 Danny Kaye (January 18, 1913 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, singer and comedian. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

The highway bridge has three lanes for vehicular traffic plus one emergency lane and one sidewalk in each direction. On weekday mornings, commuter traffic flows mostly westbound to the European part, so four of the six lanes run westbound and only two eastbound. Conversely, on weekday evenings, four lanes are dedicated to eastbound traffic and two lanes only to westbound. In the first four years, pedestrians could walk over the bridge, reaching it with elevators inside the towers on both sides. No pedestrians and commercial vehicles like trucks are allowed to use the bridge today. Nowadays, around 180,000 vehicles are passing daily in both directions, almost 85% being automobiles. On December 29, 1997, the one-billionth vehicle passed the bridge. Fully loaded, the bridge sags about 90cm in the middle of the span. The word lane has two meanings: A narrow road, usually lacking a shoulder or a median. ... In many parts of the world traffic is generally organized, flowing in lanes of travel for a particular direction, with interchanges, traffic signals, or signage at intersections to facilitate the orderly and timely flow of traffic. ... A sidewalk (American English), or pavement or footpath (Commonwealth English), is a path, usually constructed of concrete (particularly in the United States, and Canada), asphalt, brick (particularly in Europe) or stone, designed for pedestrian traffic and often running alongside a road. ... Commuting is the process of travelling from a place of residence to a place of work. ... A pedestrian at the intersection of Alinga Street and Northbourne Avenue, Canberra, Australia Look up Pedestrian on Wiktionary, the free dictionary A pedestrian is a person travelling on foot, whether walking or running. ... A modern elevator has buttons to allow passengers to select the desired floor. ... The driver of this DAF tractor with an auto-transport semi-trailer prepares to offload Skoda Octavia cars in Cardiff, Wales For further uses of the word truck, see Truck (disambiguation). ... A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 2 days remaining. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Vehicles are non-living means of transportation. ...

It is a toll bridge, and a toll plaza with 13 toll booths is situated after the bridge on the Asian side. Toll is paid for one way passing from the European side to the Asian side. Since 1999, some of the toll booths (#9 - #13), located to the far left as motorists approach them, are unmanned and equipped only with remote payment system (Turkish: OGS) in order to enable fast through passing. In addition to OGS, another toll pay system with special magnetic cards (Turkish: KGS) was put in service for use at specific toll booths in 2005. From April 03, 2006, toll booths will accept only KGS and OGS. Cash payments from this date will be accepted only at the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge, about five kilometres to the north. Paying toll on passing a bridge. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Asiatic side of the bridge. ...

The traditional international Eurasia Marathon, organized annually in October, starts from the Anatolian part of Istanbul, crosses the Bosphorus on the bridge and ends in the European part during which the bridge is closed to the vehicular traffic. Visitors to Istanbul in October can sign up for the 'fun run' at many points round the city and take the opportunity to cross the bridge by foot - many take picnics to enjoy the view. The Intercontinental Istanbul Eurasia Marathon, also known as the Eurasia Marathon, is an international athletics event organized by the metropolitan municipality in Istanbul, Turkey every year in October since 1979. ... Asia Minor lies east of the Bosporus, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. ...

Jumping from the bridge is a rather common method to commit suicide. In 2001, 146 persons attempted to jump from the two Bosphorus bridges, and 24 of them lost their lives. In 2002, 38 persons died after 190 suicide attempts by jumping. It has been suggested that Suicide and culture be merged into this article or section. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Trivia

• On May 15, 2005 at 7.00 local time, U.S. tennis star Venus Williams played a show game with Turkish standout İpek Şenoğlu on the bridge, the first tennis match ever to be played on two continents. The event was organized as a promotion ahead of the 2005 WTA’s Istanbul Cup and lasted five minutes only on the north side of the bridge. After the exhibition, they both threw each a tennis ball into the Bosphorus.

• On July 17, 2005 at 10.30 local time, British Formula One driver David Coulthard drove his Red Bull racing car on the bridge first from the European side to the Asian side, and then turning with a spectacular powerslide at the toll plaza back to the European side for show. He parked his car in the garden of Dolmabahçe Palace where his ride had started.

• During his ride to the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Racing Circuit on August 21, 2005, David Coulthard was picked up by the automatic surveillance system and charged with a fine of 20 Euros when he passed through the toll booths without payment, as only the president, traffic police and emergency workers have the right to cross the bridge for nothing. His team accepted to pay for him.

May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Ipek Senoglu, nickname Ipeko is a Turkish tennis player born on 8 June 1979. ... WTA stands for Womens Tennis Association, and is also known as the WTA Tour, and is to womens tennis what the ATP is to mens tennis. ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The inaugural Formula One World Championship was won by Italian Giuseppe Farina in his Alfa Romeo in 1950, barely defeating his Argentine teammate Juan Manuel Fangio. ... David Marshall Coulthard (born March 27, 1971 in Twynholm, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland), is a Scottish Formula One racing driver for Red Bull Racing. ... Klien Machine: Red Bulls Christian Klien in qualifying at the 2005 United States Grand Prix Red Bull Racing is one of two (along with Scuderia Toro Rosso) Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Red Bull. ... A bootleg turn is a dangerous maneuver performed by an automobile, which is meant to turn a vehicle 180 degrees in a minimum amount of time while keeping the car on the road. ... A view of the Dolmabahçe from the Bosphorus with modern Istanbul in the background The famous Crystal Staircase The main hall The Dolmabahçe Palace (Dolmabahçe Sarayı) is a palace in Istanbul, located at the western, European, side of the Bosphorus. ... The Turkish Grand Prix is a Formula One motor race that debuted on August 21, 2005 as part of the 2005 Formula One season. ... The Istanbul Racing Circuit, also known as Istanbul Otodrom or Istanbul Park (Turkish: İstanbul Park), is located on the Asian side of Istanbul, Turkey, close to the junction of Kurtkoy on the north side of TEM Motorway, linking Istanbul to Ankara; it is adjacent to the newly constructed Sabiha G... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The euro (symbol: €; banking code: EUR) is the currency of twelve European Union member states: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, collectively known as the Eurozone. ... There have been ten Presidents of the Republic of Turkey since its inception. ...

See also

• Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge - second road connection
• Marmaray - tunnel rail connection

The Asiatic side of the bridge. ... Marmaray is the name for a project to link the European and Anatolian halves of Istanbul by an undersea rail tunnel across the Bosphorus strait. ...

External links

• Live traffic camera pictures
• http://www.structurae.net/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0001368
• Satellite image from Google