Work Starts On Kanal Istanbul
Ankara officially launches controversial canal project.
President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has officially launched the start of the $15 billion Istanbul Canal project by laying the foundations of a bridge over the canal’s proposed route.
The controversial canal is intended to relieve shipping pressure on the busy Bosporus strait and will run 48km through marshland and farms on the western edge of Istanbul.
“We view Kanal Istanbul as a project to save Istanbul’s future,” Erdogan told a ceremony. “We are opening a new page in the history of Turkey’s development.”
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu called Saturday’s foundation-laying ceremony a face-saving stunt for a project that has been beset by delays and lack of funds.
