Arup and Aas-Jakobsen to carry out independent design verification of the world’s longest bridge – Turkey’s 1915 Çanakkale Bridge

Arup and Dr. Ing A. Aas-Jakobsen AS (Aas-Jakobsen) have been appointed to carry out the independent design verification for the Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey, set to become the world record holder for the longest suspension bridge in history.

The record breaking length of 2,023m and tower height of 318m will connect the Asian and European continents as part of a new highway between Kınalı and Savaştepe.

Combining leading international knowledge of long span bridge design, structural and geotechnical engineering, the team will work closely with a joint venture responsible for building the bridge consisting of Daelim, Limak, SK and Yapı Merkezi. They will work under the management of the General Directorate of Highways (KGM), Ministry of Transport Infrastructure, Maritime Affairs and Communications and Çanakkale Otoyol ve Köprüsü İnşaat Yatırım ve İşletme A.Ş. (ÇCOK AŞİYİ).

The team will collaborate to overcome highly complex geotechnical engineering challenges due to location of the bridge being in a seismic zone and also requiring increased aerodynamic stability for safety.

Matt Carter, Global Bridge Skills Leader, Arup comments: “The record breaking 1915 Çanakkale Bridge demonstrates our commitment to push the boundaries of what is possible to shape a better world. Through close collaboration, our world class specialists have helped our client to overcome the highly complex challenges associated with an exceptional bridge of this length and technical complexity. We are proud to have led the independent verification of such a landmark project; one that allowed us to showcase our specialist skills in geotechnical, seismic, ship impact and long span bridge engineering to the full.”

“The record span explores the boundary of current suspension bridge design. We are very pleased to be part of this project and contribute with our expert knowledge in aerodynamics, suspension systems and deck structure for long span bridges” says Svein Erik Jakobsen, head of the bridge department at Aas-Jakobsen.