People to determine Eurasia Tunnel's name
Transport, Maritime and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan said the name of the Eurasia Tunnel, which will cross the Bosporus, will be determined by a questionnaire on the ministry website.Minister Arslan called the Istanbul Bosporus Tube Crossing Project, which is built under the Istanbul Bosporus, "the brother to Istanbul's Marmaray underwater subway." It is known publicly as the "Eurasia Tunnel" and will be completed on Dec. 20. He also said the 14.6 kilometer-long project consists of three main sections.Arslan, explaining that they finished the connection roads on the European and Asian sides eight months before the specified time, which was previously determined to be 55 months, said, "It is a great and prosperous success to finish the project ahead of time with advanced technology and engineering used despite the very difficult physical conditions such as passing under the Bosporus."Noting that the name of the Eurasia Tunnel will be determined by the public with a questionnaire on the website, Arslan said: "The interest our people have in the project is very big and at the programs we have attended we have received many questions about what the name of this giant project will be. Due to the intense interest of our people, the name of the Eurasia Tunnel, which will be opened on Dec. 20, will be determined by our nation."Arslan explained that the questionnaire is open to everyone and said the survey will be realized via the website of the Transport, Maritime and Communication Ministry, www.udhb.gov.tr. Indicating that they will keep proposals open until Dec. 10, he said they will evaluate the most widely reported name.Istanbulites are hoping the enormous Eurasia Tunnel Project linking Kazlıçesme on Istanbul's European side and Göztepe in Asia will reduce the city's notorious traffic levels. The Eurasia tunnel will be Turkey's second underwater project in Istanbul after the Marmaray, a railway tunnel underneath the Bosporus Strait, which has already transported around 21 million passengers in the first six months following its inauguration in Oct. 2013.