Editing Bosporus (section)

== Crossings ==
[[File:Bosphorus Bridge.jpg|thumb|250px|[[15 July Martyrs Bridge]] ([[Bosphorus Bridge]]), the first to be built across the Bosporus, completed in 1973]]
[[File:Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge panorama.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge]], the second crossing built in 1988, looking from the Asian side towards [[Rumelihisarı]] on the European side of the Bosporus]]
[[File:Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge (30881432865).jpg|thumb|250px|[[Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge]], the third and most recent crossing, in September 2016. The bridge was opened on 26 August 2016.]]

=== Maritime ===
The Bosporus is traversed by numerous passenger and vehicular ferries daily, as well as by recreational and fishing boats ranging from dinghies to yachts owned by both public and private entities.

The strait also serves a significant amount of international commercial shipping traffic in the form of [[Cargo ship|freighters]] and [[Tanker (ship)|tankers]]. Between its northern limits at [[Rumeli Feneri]] and [[Anadolu Feneri]] and its southern ones at [[Ahırkapı Feneri]] and [[Kadıköy İnciburnu Feneri]], there are numerous dangerous points for large-scale maritime traffic that require sharp turns and management of visual obstructions. Famously, the stretch between [[Kandilli, Üsküdar|Kandilli Point]] and [[Aşiyan]] requires a 45-degree course alteration in a location where the currents can reach {{convert|7|to|8|kn|m/s|abbr=out}}. To the south, at [[Yeniköy, Istanbul|Yeniköy]], the necessary course alteration is 80 degrees. Compounding these difficult changes in trajectory, the rear and forward sight lines at [[Kandilli, Üsküdar|Kandilli]] and [[Yeniköy, Istanbul|Yeniköy]] are also completely blocked prior to and during the course alteration, making it impossible for ships approaching from the opposite direction to see around the bends. The risks posed by this geography are further multiplied by the heavy ferry traffic across the strait, linking the European and Asian sides of the city. As such, all the dangers and obstacles characteristic of narrow waterways are present and acute in this vital sea lane.

In 2011, the Turkish Government started to discuss creating a man-made canal roughly {{convert|80|km|mi}} long that would run north–south through [[Silivri|the western edges of Istanbul Province]] as a second route from the Black Sea to the Marmara. It was suggested that this would reduce the risk from shipping to the Bosporus.<ref name="Turkey to build Bosphorus bypass" /><ref name="ing.dk" /> The controverislal [[Kanal İstanbul]] project continues to be debated.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.todayszaman.com/news-223806-istanbul-canal-project-to-open-debate-on-montreux-convention.html |newspaper=[[Today's Zaman]] |title=İstanbul Canal project to open debate on Montreux Convention |date=2010-10-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430073318/http://www.todayszaman.com/news-223806-istanbul-canal-project-to-open-debate-on-montreux-convention.html |archive-date=2011-04-30 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/turkey-debates-whether-international-treaty-is-obstacle-to-plan-to-bypass-the-bosporus/2011/04/29/AFcaFrCF_story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211162128/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/turkey-debates-whether-international-treaty-is-obstacle-to-plan-to-bypass-the-bosporus/2011/04/29/AFcaFrCF_story.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2018-12-11 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |title=Turkey debates whether international treaty is obstacle to plan to bypass the Bosporus |date=2011-04-29 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title= Turkey's Ambitious Infrastructure Projects | url= https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/turkeys-ambitious-infrastructure-projects |work=Worldview | publisher=[[Stratfor]] | date= 16 May 2013| access-date=2013-05-16 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

In 2022 the dues levied by Turkey for freight ships increased 500% to US$4 per ton, the first change since 1983.<ref>{{cite web |title=Five Fold Increase of Transit Fees for Bosphorus & Dardanelles |url=https://e-ulgener.com/i/Sc_wcSIfvDShqSkPpDCVXAyecoiBLvGtTGlPs2r39tI |access-date=14 December 2022}}</ref>

The Bosporus is fairly deep and there is no definite limit on the depth and length of a ship, but ships over 150 metres long or 10 metres deep must pre-book their passage. Those over 300 metres long must follow a special clearance procedure. There is an air draft limit of 57 metres.<ref>[http://northmaritime.com/ports-info/turkish-straits-instanbul-region/24-bosphorus-istanbul-strait.html Bosphorus (Istanbul) Strait] (2014 North Maritime)</ref><ref>[https://www.un.org/depts/los/LEGISLATIONANDTREATIES/PDFFILES/TUR_1994_Regulations.pdf Maritime Traffic Regulations for the Turkish Straits and the Marmara Region, entered into force on 1 July 1994] (United Nations)</ref>

=== Land bridges ===
Two [[suspension bridge]]s and a [[cable-stayed bridge]] cross the Bosporus. The first of these, the {{convert|1074|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} long [[Bosphorus Bridge|15th July Martyrs Bridge]] was completed in 1973 when it was called the Bosporus Bridge. The second, named [[Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge|Fatih Sultan Mehmet (Bosporus II) Bridge]], is {{convert|1090|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} long, and was completed in 1988 about {{convert|5|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} north of the first bridge. The first Bosporus Bridge forms part of the [[Otoyol 1|O1 Motorway]], while the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge forms part of the [[Trans-European Motorway]]. The third and most recent bridge, the [[Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge]], is {{convert|2164|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} long and was completed in 2016.<ref name="trt">{{cite web|url=http://www.trtworld.com/turkey/3rd-bosphorus-bridge-opening-ceremony-172455|title=3rd Bosphorus bridge opening ceremony|publisher=[[TRT World]]|date=25 August 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828093449/http://www.trtworld.com/turkey/3rd-bosphorus-bridge-opening-ceremony-172455|archive-date=28 August 2016}}</ref><ref name="dailysabah.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailysabah.com/money/2016/08/26/istanbuls-mega-project-yavuz-sultan-selim-bridge-to-open-in-large-ceremony|title=Istanbul's mega project Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge to open in large ceremony|website=[[Daily Sabah]] |date=2016-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026223507/https://www.dailysabah.com/money/2016/08/26/istanbuls-mega-project-yavuz-sultan-selim-bridge-to-open-in-large-ceremony |archive-date=2016-10-26}}</ref> It is located near the northern end of the Bosporus, between the villages of [[Garipçe, Istanbul|Garipçe]] on the European side and [[Poyrazköy]] on the Asian side,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey-unveils-route-for-istanbuls-third-bridge.html |title=Turkey Unveils Route for Istanbul's Third Bridge |publisher=[[Anatolian Agency]] |date=29 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619081305/http://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey-unveils-route-for-istanbuls-third-bridge.html |archive-date=19 June 2010 }}</ref> as part of the "[[Northern Marmara Motorway]]", integrated into the existing Black Sea Coastal Highway, and allowing transit traffic to bypass city traffic.<ref name="trt" /><ref name="dailysabah.com" />

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Opening date !! Design !! Total length !! Width !! Height !! Longest span !! Clearance below !! Lanes
|-
| [[Bosphorus Bridge|15 July Martyrs Bridge]] || 30 October 1973 || Suspension bridge || {{convert|1,560|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|33.4|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|165|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|1,074|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|64|m|ft|abbr=on}} || 6 lanes of [[Otoyol 1|Motorway O1]]
|-
| [[Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge]] || 3 July 1988 || Suspension bridge || {{convert|1,510|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|39|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|105|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|1,090|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|64|m|ft|abbr=on}} || 8 lanes of [[Otoyol 2|Motorway O2]]
|-
| [[Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge]] || 26 August 2016 || Hybrid cable-stayed, suspension bridge || {{convert|2,164|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|58.4|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|322|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|1,408|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|73|m|ft|abbr=on}} || 8 lanes of  [[Otoyol 7|Motorway O7]] and 1 double-track railway
|}

=== Submarine ===
The [[Marmaray]] project, featuring a {{convert|13.7|km|mi|abbr=on}} long undersea [[Rail transport|railway]] [[tunnel]], opened on 29 October 2013.<ref>{{cite news |title=Turkey's Bosporus tunnel to open sub-sea Asia link |work=BBC News |date=29 October 2013 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24721779}}</ref> Approximately {{convert|1400|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} of the tunnel runs under the strait, at a depth of about {{convert|55|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}.

An undersea [[Water tunnel (physical infrastructure)|water supply tunnel]] with a length of {{convert|5551|m|ft|abbr=on}},<ref name=CNNTurkTunnel /> named the [[Bosporus Water Tunnel]], was constructed in 2012 to transfer water from the Melen Creek in [[Düzce Province]] (to the east of the Bosporus strait, in northwestern [[Anatolia]]) to the European side of Istanbul, a distance of {{convert|185|km|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref name=CNNTurkTunnel>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnnturk.com/2012/turkiye/05/21/melen.hatti.bogazi.gecti/661848.0/index.html|title=Melen hattı Boğaz'ı geçti |work=CNN Türk |language=tr |date=2012-05-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sabah.com.tr/Ekonomi/2012/05/19/melen-bogazi-geciyor|newspaper=[[Sabah (newspaper)|Sabah]] Ekonomi|title=Melen Boğaz'ı geçiyor|author=Nayır, Mehmet|date=2012-05-19|language=tr|access-date=2012-06-11}}</ref>

The [[Eurasia Tunnel]] is a {{convert|5.4|km|mi|abbr=on}} undersea [[highway]] tunnel designed for vehicular traffic between [[Kazlıçeşme]] on the European side of Istanbul and [[Göztepe, Istanbul|Göztepe]] on the Asian side. Construction began in February 2011, and the tunnel opened on 20 December 2016.<ref name="uc">{{cite web|url=http://events.unicredit-cib.eu/uploads/media/Presentation_Basar_Arioglu_Yapi_Merkezi_Insaat.pdf |publisher=Unicredit - Yapı Merkezi, SK EC Joint Venture |title=Eurasia Tunnel Project |access-date=2014-04-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030427/http://events.unicredit-cib.eu/uploads/media/Presentation_Basar_Arioglu_Yapi_Merkezi_Insaat.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 }}</ref>

Up to four submarine fibre optics lines ([[MedNautilus]] and possibly others) approach Istanbul, coming from the Mediterranean through the Dardanelles.<ref>{{cite conference |first=Gülnazi |last=Yüce |url=http://hro-cigre.hr/downloads/SEERC_CD/papers/topic_2/2-03_presentation.pdf |title=Submarine Cable Projects (2-03) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180409043054/http://hro-cigre.hr/downloads/SEERC_CD/papers/topic_2/2-03_presentation.pdf |archive-date=9 April 2018 |conference=First South East European Regional CIGRÉ Conference |location=Portorož, Slovenia |date=7–8 June 2016 |access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://submarine-cable-map-2017.telegeography.com |title=Submarine Cable Map 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928152213/http://submarine-cable-map-2017.telegeography.com/ |archive-date=28 September 2017 |url-status=live |work=TeleGeography |access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref>