July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge

July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge (formerly Bosphorus Bridge), whose foundation was laid on February 20, 1970 and put into service on October 30, 1973; is a bridge the construction of which was completed in only 39 months and its reputation spread all over the world in terms of separating the two continents.

The total length of the bridge, having one abutment in Ortaköy and the other in Beylerbeyi, is 1,560 meters and its center span is 1,974 meters as well as the height from the sea is 64 meters and the width is 33.40 meters.

After the FETO coup attempt on July 15, 2016, the name of the bridge was changed to July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge in memory of the citizens who lost their lives as a result of the conflicts at the crossing point of the Bosphorus Bridge from Anatolia to Europe.

July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge, one of the three suspension bridges on the Bosphorus, is also known as the "First Bridge" especially among Istanbulites. The July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge, which assumed  the title of being the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world when its construction was completed, is known as Bosphorus (Bosporus) in the world.

July 15 Martyrs Bridge, which is closed to pedestrian traffic since 1978, passes over the D100 highway and is one of the most important public transport network.The bridge, the construction of which cost approximately 22 million US Dollars, was inaugurated by the then President Fahri Korutürk on the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic. In 1967, four different engineering companies were asked to prepare the bridge Project. Afterwards, an agreement was concluded with a British company known as Freeman, Fox and Partners. Finally the company that built the bridge was Hochtief AG and Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company.

In the past, Sultan Abdülhamid II. had a bridge project prepared by “Bosphorus Railroad Company”, but his dethronement upon political events caused the project to end before it could be completed.