cw-6-2i

Six lanes over the Sea of Marmara – starting in 2017, over 5,000 vehicles
per day will be able to cross the new Izmit Bay Bridge in Turkey.
With a main span of 1,550 m the Izmit Bay Suspension Bridge forms
part of the Gebze-Izmir expressway project being procured under a privatized
concession arrangement.
The proposed structure will be located at the
eastern end of the Sea of Marmara, close to
Izmit and approximately 50 km from Istanbul,
Turkey. Crossing the Bay of Izmit, the bridge (and connecting
highway) will provide three lanes of traffic in each
direction.
CH2M HILL’s bridge professionals provided full, independent
detailed checking services which included a comprehensive
assessment of seismic actions requiring state of
the art non-linear methods of analysis and a review of the
very extensive wind tunnel testing commissioned by the
designer.
The bridge is located close to the North Anatolian Fault
which is one of the most active earthquake zones in the
world. This has resulted in the adoption of special measures
to resist seismic effects including the adoption of steel
inclusion piles to improve ground conditions below the
tower foundations.
These foundations are placed on a layer of gravel that
acts as a seismic fuse to dissipate energy under extreme
seismic loading. Extensive linear, non-linear, and dynamic
modelling was carried out including detailed finite element
models and complex modelling of the non-linear behaviour
of the seismic fuses.
Deck Construction
Crane service provider Aydin Vinc A.S. is tasked with making
sure the logistics run smoothly when constructing this
large-scale project – with the help of a new Sennebogen
5500 crawler crane with 180 t load capacity.
The Izmit Bay Bridge is being built around 50 km southeast
of Istanbul and will be the longest and most advanced
suspension bridge in the world.
(pix previous page)
A modern, six-lane suspension
bridge is under construction
across the Sea of
Marmara near the Turkish
town of Izmit.
Customer Aydin Vinc A.S. is
using a 180 t Sennebogen
5500 crawler crane for
lifting and logistics tasks
where the bridge is being
built.
Contractors World International Vol 6 No 1
Page 13