The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan opened officially the Bosphorus tunnel. The 5,4 km tunnel was a great technical challenge as it goes 106 meters under the seabed . The magnitude of the project is so big, that the tensions from last yesterday’s developments did not stop the Turkish President from attending the official opening ceremony.

Due to the earthquakes that often hit Constantinople, the Yapi Merkezi and the South Korean SK Grou construction companies responsible for the project, have designed the tunnel so that it can endure earthquakes of magnitude up to 7,5R.

According to the Turkish Minister of Transport,Maritime and Communication, Ahmet Arslan the Turkish government is planning to construct a third tunnel that will have three levels for cars as well as trains.

President Erdogan’s goal, as he has expressed it in the past, is to build a “New Turkey” by 2023 when the 100 years of the Turkish Republic will be celebrated.