The ceremony to start constructing the Istanbul Canal bypassing the Bosphorus is scheduled for late June, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said while delivering a speech in Istanbul, Report informs.
“Somewhere at the end of June, we will lay the first stone in the construction of the Istanbul canal. Of course, this megaproject worries some people. But this will not stop us,” the Turkish leader said.
He noted that the implementation of the Istanbul Canal project will increase the strategic importance of the Turkish metropolis. “You will see six bridges over the canal. In addition, two cities will be built on both banks of the new artificial waterway, and they will decorate the image of Istanbul,” Erdogan added.
Turkey plans to build a new canal that will run parallel to the Bosphorus and connect the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea.