Turkey’s Osman Gazi Bridge has been opened to the public, following completion of 42 months of construction work on the suspension bridge.

This brige has the capacity to carry more than 40,000 vehicles every day.

Working on-behalf of Japanese construction company IHI, Siemens was responsible for the development, installation and commissioning of all the bridge structure and traffic control components and systems.

The new six-lane suspension bridge, which connects the cities of Istanbul and Izmir in the western part of Turkey, features separated maintenance lines.

It is expected to cut down travel time between the cities from eight to four hours.

"It is equipped with a technology device that constantly monitors and measures vibrations, loads, and movements, and alerts bridge operators in case of any abnormal events."

The bridge is built completely from steel, it is 64m above the Sea of Marmara, and is built to resist earthquakes.

It is equipped with a technology device that constantly monitors and measures vibrations, loads, and movements, and alerts bridge operators in case of any abnormal events.

Siemens deployed around 390 sensors across the bridge. These sensors raise an alarm in case of an emergency situation.

Further, the sensors can seamlessly keep track of the longitudinal and lateral strain, as well as the stress loads on the road sections leading up to the main span. Any potential damages to the bridge are immediately detected by the sensors.

Image: Turkey’s Osman Gazi Bridge has been opened to public. Photo: Courtesy of Siemens.