3rd Bridge and Northern Marmara Highway Project International Finance Award

Oct 01, 2026

Recognized as one of Turkey’s most prestigious projects, the Third Bridge and Northern Marmara Highway Project has been awarded the “Financing Award” by the international economic magazine EMAE Finance

The 3rd Bridge and Northern Marmara Highway Project, constructed by the IC İÇTAŞ–Astaldi Consortium under ICA and viewed as the future of transportation and trade, Bridge and Northern Marmara Highway Project, which is viewed as the future of transportation and trade, was recognized with this award by EMEA Finance, one of the world’s leading financial magazines that tracks financial markets across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In 2013, the project won the award for Best Public-Private Partnership (“PPP”) Project Financing in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region.
For the project financing of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, a loan agreement totaling 2.3 billion U.S. dollars, involving seven banks, was signed in August 2013 and finalized in recent days.

THE FINANCING PROJECT WILL ALSO SET AN EXAMPLE

The IC İÇTAŞ–Astaldi consortium, which will carry out the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and Northern Marmara Highway Project, submitted a financing request to ICA. The request was supported by Garantibank International N.V., T. Garanti Bank A.Ş., T.Halk Bank A.Ş., T. İş Bank A.Ş., T. Vakıflar Bank T.A.O., T. Ziraat Bank A.Ş., and Yapı ve Kredi Bank A.Ş.

The project financing, totaling 2.3 billion U.S. dollars with a 9-year term, is considered the largest single-transaction project financing loan ever provided for a “greenfield” (built-from-scratch) project in the history of the Republic.

Commenting on the award, Serhat Çeçen, a member of the IC Holding Board of Directors, stated, “The 3. Bridge and Northern Marmara Highway Project, which encompasses many firsts, has brought us joy and pride during the bridge’s construction phase. We hope that our financing project, which marks another first, will serve as a model and contribute to the development of the Turkish economy,” he said.

A PIONEER IN EVERY RESPECT

The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, to be constructed as part of the Northern Marmara Highway Project, will be the third bridge spanning the Bosphorus, following the Bosphorus Bridge, which opened in 1973, and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, completed in 1988.
To be built with advanced engineering and technology by a team composed mostly of Turkish engineers, the third Bosphorus Bridge will be the world’s first bridge to feature an 8-lane highway and a 2-lane railway running at the same level. With a width of 59 meters and a main span of 1,408 meters, it will hold the title of the world’s longest and widest suspension bridge. Additionally, with a height exceeding 320 meters, it will be the bridge with the world’s tallest towers.
The conceptual design of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge was jointly developed by structural engineer Michel Virlogeux—known as the “French bridge master”—and the Swiss firm T-Engineering.

IC İnşaat | 3rd Bridge and Northern Marmara Highway Project International Finance Award