Order Received for First and Second Bosphorus Bridge Repair Work in Turkey

- December 4, 2013-

A joint venture between IHI Infrastructure Systems Co., Ltd. (IIS, Headquarters: Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture; President: Akira Inoue) and MAKYOL (Location: Istanbul), a leading general contractor in Turkey, received an order for repair work on the First and Second Bosphorus Bridges from the Turkish Ministry of Transportation Road Agency.
The contract amount is about 247 million Turkish Lira (approximately 12.5 billion yen). IIS will be in charge of replacing the hanger cables of the First Bosphorus Bridge and installing dehumidifiers on both bridges. Work will start shortly, and the project is expected to be completed in 2015, after an 18-month construction period.

The First Bosphorus Bridge, also called simply "Bosphorus Bridge" celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The Second Bosphorus Bridge, also known as the "Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge" that was constructed by IHI with an ODA loan is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
These two bridges form the main trunk routes connecting the European side and the Asian side of Istanbul. Due to the more than 400,000 vehicles making return trips across the bridges every day, the Turkish Ministry of Transportation decided to undertake major repair work.

The centerpiece of the ordered repair work is to replace the inclined hanger cables of the First Bosphorus Bridge with vertical hanger cables. This is a cable replacement project on one of the three long suspension bridges in the world with inclined hanger cables. It is a repair project with a high level of difficulty that is attracting attention globally.

IHI has an extensive construction record in Turkey, including construction of the old and new Golden Horn Bridges (steel Girder Bridge s) in 1974 and 1998, construction of the Second Bosphorus Bridge, and the seismic reinforcement of 15 suspension bridges in Istanbul, including the First and Second Bosphorus Bridges in 2010. The company has greatly contributed to the improvement of road transport infrastructure in Turkey.

IHI and IIS are currently undertaking construction of the Izmit Bay Crossing Bridge that was contracted two years ago. Construction of the Izmit Bay Crossing Bridge that will be the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world when it is complete and repair work on the First and Second Bosphorus Bridges that straddle the Bosphorus Strait is being performed at the same time. The company will strive to complete both projects successfully in order to establish the IHI brand and acquire a solid record for bridge construction and repair in Turkey.