World’s widest suspension bridge linking Asia to Europe opens in Turkey

                                                            (C) AFP/OzanKoseozanKose

Turkey opened one of the world's biggest suspension bridges on Friday, the latest mega-project in a $200 billion building spree that President Tayyip Erdogan hopes will secure his place in history. The bridge creates a new link across the Bosphorus Strait, which divides Asia and Europe. President Erdogan oversaw a ceremony inaugurating the $3 billion Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, which is touted by its Turko-Italian developers as the world's broadest suspension bridge at 58.4 metres (192 feet) wide. The toll bridge, spanning 1,408 metres (4,620 feet) over the Bosphorus, is built in the style of New York's Brooklyn Bridge and boasts pylons higher than the Eiffel Tower. It features 10 lanes, including two rail lines. At 322 metres (1,056 feet), officials say the bridge's towers are also the tallest in the world.