Nissibi Bridge Explained

Bridge Name:Nissibi Bridge
Nissibi Köprüsü
Carries:4 (2+2) lanes of
Crosses:Atatürk Reservoir on the Euphrates River
Locale:Kahta, AdıyamanSiverek, Şanlıurfa, Turkey
Design:Cable-stayed bridge
Material:Orthotropic deck steel
Mainspan:400m (1,300feet)
Length:610m (2,000feet)
Width:24.5m (80.4feet)
Open:May 21, 2015
Cost:100 million
Coordinates:37.899°N 38.9744°W

The Nissibi Bridge (Turkish: Nissibi Köprüsü) is a cable-stayed bridge completed on May 21, 2015, spanning the Atatürk Reservoir on the Euphrates River at the provincial border of AdıyamanŞanlıurfa in southeastern Turkey.

History

With the forming of the reservoir lake of Atatürk Dam in 1992, the bridge on the highway KahtaSiverekDiyarbakır crossing the Euphrates River was inundated. The traffic between Adıyaman and Diyarbakır had to be diverted in the south to the route over Şanlıurfa. Traffic was maintained also by ferry boats across the lake. To bypass the detour, a new bridge was projected crossing over the Atatürk Reservoir. The bridge will help shorten the route about 60km (40miles).

Construction

The groundbreaking of the bridge was held in presence of Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication Binali Yıldırım on January 26, 2012. The bridge is built by Gülsan Construction Co. It is named after the ancient town Nissibi situated in the vicinity. The cable-stayed orthotropic bridge is 610m (2,000feet) long and 24.5m (80.4feet) wide with a main span of 400m (1,300feet). Its two pylons are 96m (315feet) tall. The bridge will carry two lanes of traffic in each direction.

The cost of the construction is estimated to be 100 million.

The bridge was officially opened on May 21, 2015 by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.