Ağın Bridge

This article is about the 2015-built bridge. For the no-longer-existing historic Roman bridge in the same area, see Karamagara Bridge.

The Ağın Bridge, a.k.a. Ağın (Karamağara) Bridge, (Turkish: Ağın Köprüsü or Ağın Karamağara Köprüsü) is a cable-stayed bridge spanning Lake Keban in Elazığ Province, Turkey. It was opened to traffic in 2015.^[1]

Ağın Bridge Ağın Köprüsü
Coordinates	38°54′56″N 38°39′47″E / 38.9155°N 38.6630°E / 38.9155; 38.6630
Crosses	Lake Keban Dam
Locale	Ağın, Elazığ Province
Other name(s)	Ağın (Karamağara) Bridge
Characteristics
Design	Cable-stayed bridge
Material	Steel
Total length	520 m (1,710 ft)
Width	13 m (43 ft)
Longest span	280 m (920 ft)
Clearance above	55 m (180 ft)
History
Constructed by	MEGA YAPI
Construction start	2001
Construction cost	₺ 33.325 million
Opened	October 26, 2015
Location

The construction of the bridge began in 2001. Due to alterations to the project, construction was delayed, but work resumed on January 10, 2012, and the opening took place on October 26, 2015.^[2] The bridge was built by the Mega Yapi company and the consultant was BOTEK Bosphorus Technical Consulting Corporation.

The cable-stayed bridge is 520 m (1,710 ft) long and 13 m (43 ft) wide with a main span of 280 m (920 ft),^[3] and a clearance of 55 m (180 ft) above the water level. The bridge carries one lane of traffic in each direction.^[4] At its opening, the Ağın Bridge became Turkey's fourth longest one after the Bosphorus Bridge, 1,560 m (5,120 ft), and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, 1,510 m (4,950 ft), in Istanbul and the Nissibi Euphrates Bridge, 610 m (2,000 ft), in Adıyaman Province.^[1] The budgeted cost of the construction was given as ₺ 33.325 million.^[3]

Background

In the past, access to the town of Ağın from the city of Elazığ was provided by the Karamağara Bridge, an ancient Roman arch bridge situated about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the town. The historic bridge was dismantled, and its ashlar masonry was moved to the Elazığ Museum before the Keban Dam was completed and its reservoir created in 1974. For a period of about 40 years following the establishment of the reservoir, the town was disconnected from the provincial center, and was accessible only by ferry boats across the lake.^[1][2][4] The newly built bridge is also named the "Ağın (Karamağara) Bridge" in remembrance of the previous Roman bridge which no longer exists.^[1]

References

1. "Türkiye'nin en uzun dördüncü asma köprüsü tamamlandı". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 2015-10-20. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
2. . Haber Elazığ (in Turkish). 2015-10-26. Archived from the original on 2016-11-05. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
3. (PDF) (in Turkish). Karayolları Genel Müdürlüğü. 2013-02-11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-11-05. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
4. . Kanal 23 (in Turkish). 2013-03-23. Archived from the original on 2016-08-20. Retrieved 2016-08-13.