PHOTO: Undersea Tunnel Between Europe and Asia Opens

SK Engineering and Construction (SK E&C) has opened an undersea tunnel connecting Europe and Asia.

The Eurasia Tunnel is a 5.4 km long twin-deck submarine tunnel that connects Turkish Istanbul through the Bosphorus to the continental Asia.

The opening ceremony, that took place in Istanbul, was attended by government officials including Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, SK E&C chief executive officer Choi Kwang Chul and South Korean ambassador to Turkey Cho Yun-Soo.

“The Eurasia submarine tunnel will provide a variety of benefits to the citizens of Istanbul by providing quality transportation services in terms of economy, society, culture and environment,” president Erdogan said.

According to SK E&C, the opening of Eurasia Tunnel is expected to significantly reduce the traffic congestion of Istanbul.

The tunnel, expected to be used by 120,000 vehicles a day, will reduce the time it takes to cross the Bosphorus Strait from 100 to 15 minutes.

The USD 1.24 billion project was executed by SK E&C in cooperation with Turkish Yapi Merkezi.

The construction of the tunnel, which started in January 2013, has been completed ahead of schedule.

SK E&C will be in charge of maintenance and operations of the submarine tunnel until June 2041.

Subsea World News Staff; Photo: SK E&C