Authorities issued a fine of around $508,000 (TL 6.8 million) to a company operating a tollway that stretches through Istanbul over the partial closure of the road during the recent winter snow blizzard.
The North Marmara Highway was struck by unprecedented snowfall on Jan. 24, which gripped the European side of Istanbul. A large number of vehicles were stranded along parts of the highway. The fine was issued due to the closure of some sections of the highway for 18 hours, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced on Monday.
In the meantime, the company announced that fees motorists paid that day for using the road would be refunded.
The North Marmara Highway, a colossal project connecting Istanbul’s Asian and European sides along a stretch of 400 kilometers (248.5 miles), was fully opened last May, providing fast transportation from Silivri in Istanbul’s west to the easternmost districts of Istanbul, as well as districts in neighboring Sakarya.
The highway was among the hot spots of accidents, a traffic snarl which trapped a large number of people during the snowstorm and blizzard that brought life to a halt in the city last week. Some drivers and passengers were evacuated to nearby hotels, guest houses and mosques, while others waited for more than one day for the road to be cleared. The highway's three sections, from Kınalı in Silivri to Hasdal in the Eyüpsultan district, were among the hardest-hit places.
The company said in a written statement that they made every effort to keep the traffic flowing but heavy snowfall "amounting to a disaster" caused "undesired disruptions to transportation and forced our citizens to wait on the road," despite early measures to keep the road clear by pouring salt and chemicals against icing. The company said they would review their measures to prevent a repeat of such incidents again.
Heavy precipitation that blanketed several districts on Istanbul’s European side, with layers of snow reaching 50 centimeters (around 19 inches) high in some places, spelled trouble for commuters last week. People were forced to abandon their vehicles on clogged sections of highways while those on the E-5 highway were forced to abandon their cars and take the Metrobus rapid transit system.
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) has come under fire for a perceived lack of measures against the snowfall when the roads were snowed-in, while Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu was criticized for enjoying a dinner at a posh Istanbul restaurant while people were stranded in their cars on the roads for hours.
Snowstorms and blizzards in Turkey’s neighbor Greece around the same time had caused the government to order a private highway operator to pay a compensation fee of 2,000 euros ($2,300) to stranded motorists.