The Turkish minister for Transport, Maritime Affairs & Communications, Ahmet Arslan, has said that the tender date for the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, which could potentially set a new world record for bridge spans, will be announced at the end of September.

According to local press reports, the ministry is preparing tender documents for the 1915 Çanakkale suspension bridge which will cross the Dardanelles Straits at the western end of the Sea of Marmara and offers an alternative route to the existing crossings of the Bosphorus Straits.

Initial plans for the suspension bridge suggest that it could have a record-breaking span of 2,023m. The bridge will be built using a build-operate-transfer model and the ministry expects to begin receiving bids at the start of next year.