Minister Turhan: We will Break Ground for Canal İstanbul This Year

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Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Cahit Turhan has held a press statement about the annual review of 2019 and the goals set for 2020 at the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK).

Referring to the Canal İstanbul project and the Great İstanbul Tunnel Project, Turhan has indicated that the tender processes will start this year:

"We are planning to go out to tender for Great İstanbul Tunnel Project, which we will carry out with build-operate-transfer model, this year. The construction plan of Canal İstanbul has been approved. We will start the tender process after the review process comes to an end. We will break ground within this year. We will bring the high-speed train to Sivas this year."

'We come to the tender process'

* Minister Cahit Turhan

Elaborating further on Canal İstanbul, Turhan has said,

"We have come to the tender process of Canal İstanbul Project, which will protect our straits and İstanbul. Without violating the articles of the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits and by keeping the Bosphorus open for marine transportation, we will ensure that an alternative gate will be opened with Canal İstanbul. We will protect Bosphorus from accidents and dangerous shipment.

"There are several international companies and credit agencies taking an interest in the project by both sending an official letter and expressing their interest verbally. Companies from Russia, China, the Netherlands and Belgium as well as other individual countries are interested in our project."

'Number of guaranteed passengers exceeded'

Minister Turhan has also referred to the new İstanbul Airport. Indicating that the number of guaranteed passengers has been extended, Turhan has said that the public will be made an additional payment of 22.4 million Euro.

Canal İstanbul project

President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a statement in 2011, when he was still the Prime Minister.

In his speech, he mentioned "a new İstanbul" objective. Presented as a "crazy project", the plan referred to 'Canal İstanbul' for the first time.

What is in the 'crazy project'?

The basic information as to the project was shared with the public at a press conference in Haliç Congress Center in 2011. The plan foresaw an artificial sea-level waterway that would connect the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. The most important aspect of the project was the integration of transportation. The construction of 3rd Bosphorus bridge foreseen by the project has been completed.

In May 2016, 32 articles of 20 laws were amended. An additional article added to the Pasture Law has paved the way for the region's zoning for construction.

With another amendment introduced to the law, it has been understood that the access roads to the Canal İstanbul will be toll roads.

Ahmet Arslan, the then Minister of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications, announced the route of the project in 2018. He said that the canal would form an artificial waterway from the Black Sea to Marmara Sea, covering 45 kilometers from Küçükçekmece Lake through Küçükçekmece-Sazlıdere-Durusu corridor.

The process of Environmental Impact Assessment

The Board of Inspection and Survey of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report of the Canal İstanbul project on December 23, 2019.

Accordingly, the report was presented to the public at the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and İstanbul Provincial Directorate of Environment and Urbanization for 10 days. The citizens submitted petitions of objection against the project within this period.

On January 17, 2020, Minister of Environment and Urbanization Murat Kurum announced that they approved the EIA report of Canal İstanbul.

(TP/DB/SD)