Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that the highways, airports, trains, subways and sea structures under the responsibility of the Ministry were not damaged in the earthquake that occurred on April 23. Minister Uraloğlu said, “We designed and built our Osmangazi and Yavuz Sultan Selim bridges in a way that they can remain standing and provide service even in a very strong earthquake. In a possible major earthquake, all types of transportation to Istanbul, Kocaeli and Sakarya will be able to be provided without disruption via the Northern Marmara Highway.”
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu attended the 75th Highways Regional Managers Meeting. Minister Uraloğlu stated, “Road and development works have an important place in our thousand-year state tradition in these lands, and our General Directorate of Highways in the modern sense was officially established in 1950.” Minister Uraloğlu stated that the roots of highways extend back to the Highways and Bridges Presidency in 1934 and then to the Ottoman Empire, and said that these services, which are carried out in a difficult geography with limited resources, are very valuable.
“We Aimed for Better and More Beautiful Things at Each Milestone”
Uraloğlu, who recalled that in the early years of the Republic, a transformation took place with a 47-kilometer road network that reduced the travel time between Ankara and Istanbul from 80 hours to 79 hours and between Ankara and Samsun from 18 hours to 96 hours, continued his words as follows:
“This legacy has handed down to us not only the construction of our roads, but also the responsibility of building the future of a country. We have all carried this legacy in our hearts and aimed for better and more beautiful things at each milestone. As an institution that foresees the needs of the future and provides services with high standards, we are moving forward on this path with determination. Our regional directors meetings are not just a bureaucratic mechanism, but a meeting of unity, a cause and a renewing of the passion for service.”
Noting that the meetings in question reflect the spirit of the road travel tradition, Uraloğlu stated that they draw a road map here, share experiences, and shape strategic goals with common sense. Uraloğlu said, “The connections established here and the ideas produced are examples of our country’s development journey. Therefore, this hall where we come together is not just a meeting place, but an expression of the unity of those who love the road and those who walk, those who understand the slope and those who climb, and those who are devoted to it.”
“We are determinedly walking towards our goal of zero loss of life with the principle of ‘Every Life is Valuable’”
Uraloğlu stated that the General Directorate of Highways, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with the vision of “Road is Civilization”, is one of the centers of the future journey of 86 million citizens, and continued his words as follows:
“We have paved the way for economic, social and cultural development. With this mobilization we have initiated, we have quadrupled our divided road network from 6 kilometers to 101 kilometers. We have connected 29 provinces with safe and comfortable roads. This year, we will have exceeded 742 kilometers. The 77 kilometers we reached in 30, when there were discussions about whether 15 kilometers was what Türkiye needed… Today, this network constitutes 2002 percent of our total road network and serves 29 percent of the traffic. While the number of our vehicles, which was 742 million in 43, has exceeded 83 million, our average travel speed has increased from 2002 kilometers per hour to 8,5 kilometers per hour. While vehicle mobility has increased by 31 percent, we have reduced the number of fatalities in road accidents by 40 percent. With the principle of ‘Every Life is Valuable,’ we are determinedly walking towards our goal of zero fatalities.”
“The length of the bridge, viaduct and tunnel has reached a distance from Istanbul to Iğdır”
Minister Uraloğlu, who stated that they increased the highway network from 714 kilometers to 3 kilometers, noted that the length of bridges and viaducts increased from 796 kilometers to 311 kilometers, and the length of tunnels increased from 799 kilometers to 50 kilometers. Uraloğlu said, “The length of bridges, viaducts and tunnels we have reached, when added end to end, has reached a distance from Istanbul to Iğdır.”
“We Provide a Total Economic Contribution of 199 Billion Liras to Our Country Annually”
Minister Uraloğlu stated that thanks to the investments, they saved 114 billion 741 million liras in labor and 84 billion 263 million liras in fuel, and said, “We provide a total annual economic contribution of 199 billion liras to our country. This amount is almost as much as our annual investment expenditure. We are also creating an environmentally friendly transportation network with 5,27 million tons of emission reduction. Look, my friends, these achievements are not just stone, concrete, asphalt, steel; they are the welfare of our nation and the assurance of our future. These figures are not just statistics; they are safe journeys, saved lives, united families, and reunited loved ones.”
“Our Mega Projects Made Türkiye a Regional and Global Transportation Hub”
Minister Uraloğlu continued his words by drawing attention to the fact that they have implemented giant projects by sharing risks by bringing together public resources with the dynamism of the private sector and international financing:
“Our mega projects have made Türkiye a regional and global transportation hub. The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, the Eurasia Tunnel and the Marmaray have connected Asia and Europe in minutes. The Osmangazi Bridge has become one of the lifeblood of our country. The Kömürhan, Tohma, Beğendik, Bitlis Stream Viaduct and Nissibi Bridges have made journeys safe and enjoyable. The Cankurtaran, Ilgaz 15 Temmuz İstiklal, Salarha, Assos and Troya, Sabuncubeli, Ovit and Zigana Tunnels have transformed impassable mountains into friendly roads.”
Minister Uraloğlu also noted that the Northern Marmara, Istanbul-Izmir, Ankara-Niğde and most recently the Aydın-Denizli Highways connected production centers to ports without interruption, and expressed that they established a century of transportation with many airports, especially Istanbul Airport, high-speed trains and metro lines.
Minister Uraloğlu said that most of the works in question were crowned with international awards by bringing together engineering and aesthetics, and that Türkiye had proven once again that it was among the world leaders.
“We Continue Our Service Storm with Projects Befitting Türkiye’s Century”
Minister Uraloğlu stated that they aimed to increase the highway network to 2053 thousand 38 kilometers in 60 in line with the Transportation and Logistics Master Plan and said, “We continue our storm of services with projects worthy of the Turkish Century. We started the Kınalı-Malkara Highway, which will enable the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge and Malkara-Çanakkale Highway to reach Istanbul, on March 18 this year. When completed, the transportation between Istanbul and Tekirdağ will be reduced to less than an hour, the transportation time between Istanbul and Çanakkale will be reduced from 3,5 hours to 2 hours, and the northern side of the Marmara Highway Ring will be completely connected. Thus, an uninterrupted highway connection will be provided between the Osmangazi Bridge, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge.”
Minister Uraloğlu stated that they have started the construction work on the Ankara-Kırıkkale-Delice Highway and that the project will ease the burden of road freight transportation by providing uninterrupted transportation to the eastern and northern corridors of Ankara and from there to the Middle East and Caucasian countries.
Uraloğlu stated that the Antalya-Alanya Highway will meet the intense demand in the summer months quickly, comfortably and safely, and will be a lifeline for tourism, trade and agriculture, and continued his words as follows:
“We foresee that the current roads between Ankara and Istanbul will not be sufficient in the future. We will need to build a new road from Akyazı, where the Northern Marmara Motorway ends, to Ankara. With the Central Anatolian Motorway we are planning, we will establish a faster connection between the Northern Marmara Motorway and the Ankara-Niğde Motorway. We will also build an alternative road for disasters and emergencies.”
“As Highwaymen, We Set Out for Reality, Not Dreams”
Minister Uraloğlu, who emphasized that the point Türkiye has reached in highways and the projects on the agenda are achievements that others cannot even dream of, said, “As highway workers, we set out for the truth, not dreams. Because our only passion is the passion to serve the nation, our only politics is the politics of work. What do our ancestors say, ‘The donkey dies, but its saddle remains, the man dies, but his work remains’… Your works surround every corner of this beautiful country. We are glad that you exist. May your path always be open.”
Roads, Airports, Trains and Metros Were Not Damaged in the April 23 Earthquake
Uraloğlu stated that the earthquake in Istanbul on April 23 reminded Türkiye of the reality of earthquakes once again and said, “Our highways, airports, trains and subways, and marine structures under the responsibility of our ministry have thankfully survived this disaster without damage. This picture is the result of the mobilization we have initiated in the last 23 years, under the leadership of our President, focusing on the reality of earthquakes.”
Uraloğlu, who recalled that after the earthquake in 1999, it became clear that there was a need for resilient alternative highway corridors in Istanbul, Türkiye's most important metropolis, and in the Marmara and Aegean regions to be used in disaster situations such as earthquakes, continued his words as follows:
“In this context, we have made the integration of the Marmara and Aegean regions, which are the most developed segments of the Turkish economy and where a significant portion of the population lives, especially in Istanbul, possible by implementing new highway projects such as the Northern Marmara Highway, Istanbul-Izmir Highway and Malkara-Çanakkale Highway. We designed and constructed our Osmangazi and Yavuz Sultan Selim bridges to be able to remain standing and provide service even in a very strong earthquake. We have strengthened our July 15 Martyrs and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges and their connecting roads and viaducts with seismic and structural reinforcement works.”
“All types of transportation to Istanbul, Kocaeli and Sakarya will be possible without any disruption via the Northern Marmara Highway in the event of an earthquake”
Noting that the Northern Marmara Motorway was built to withstand even the largest earthquake in the 2-year earthquake cycle, Uraloğlu said, “This means that in the event of a major earthquake, all types of transportation to Istanbul, Kocaeli and Sakarya will hopefully be able to be carried out without interruption via the Northern Marmara Motorway. Again, the Avrasya and Marmaray tunnels passing under the Marmara Sea were built according to the latest international standards, considering factors such as earthquake loads, tsunami effects and liquefaction.”
Uraloğlu, who once again emphasized that they carry out the design and construction works by considering the biggest earthquake scenarios in the projects, said, “In addition, we continue the construction of the Sarıyer-Kilyos Tunnel, which is a very important project. This will provide a connection to the Northern Marmara Highway at the center of Istanbul. It will serve both for the delivery of emergency aid and for the evacuation of Istanbul if necessary. We are people who trust in God. We have taken all kinds of precautions. Still, we pray that God will not test our country with these disasters. May God protect our country and our dear nation from all kinds of disasters. On this occasion, I would like to convey my get well wishes to all our citizens affected by the earthquake.”
Fiber Optic Infrastructure to Reach 20 Thousand Kilometers
Minister Uraloğlu, who stated that transportation structures are very expensive infrastructure investments, said that they have implemented smart transportation systems in order to use these projects at full capacity and to provide safe transportation. Uraloğlu said, “We are bringing innovative technologies to our country with the Cooperative Smart Transportation Systems (K-AUS) pilot applications in Istanbul and Antalya. We will expand these systems by increasing our fiber optic infrastructure to 20 thousand kilometers. Every kilometer of road we build means 86 million people coming together, embracing each other, and earning halal sustenance.”
Minister Uraloğlu, who stated that this success was due to the efforts of the highway workers, contractors, subcontractors, engineers and workers who worked day and night in construction sites, said, “The Turkish contracting sector has transformed our country into a power that exports engineering with projects extending from Europe to Africa, from the Turkish Republics to the Arabian Peninsula, and to many parts of the world. Their successes and victories are the pride of our nation; I congratulate them all wholeheartedly.”
“We will mobilize all means to provide resources while remaining loyal to the principle of savings in the public sector.”
Minister Uraloğlu stated that transportation projects are rising with integrated systems and that they are strengthening intermodal transportation by integrating highways with railways, airways and seaways, and continued his words as follows:
“New investments should complement the existing infrastructure. Let’s not forget the importance of repairs as much as BSK construction. Let’s never compromise on quality. We know that poor quality work done twice is the most expensive work. Let’s not forget to develop while constructing our structures. Construction is to deliver, and development is to attribute features to the works we build that will meet all kinds of human needs and to ensure that our national and spiritual values find their identity in the structures. I want all our work in 2025 to progress in line with the budget and planning. We will mobilize all possibilities to provide resources while remaining loyal to the principle of savings in the public sector.”
Minister Uraloğlu stated that they are always by the side of the highway workers with their material and moral support to keep their motivation high, and expressed his belief that they will continue to achieve great success with common sense and effort.
Uraloğlu said, “As a brother who came from among you and served in all levels of our organization, I believe that the work you do to serve the nation is incomparably more valuable than any other position or position. With a single touch, you bring joy to many families, reunite many loved ones, and become the assurance of many people who are after their sustenance. You are the guarantee of the peaceful and comfortable journey of 86 million people, you are the Highways family. No matter how proud you are, it would be not enough.”
