Osmangazi Tunnel

The Osmangazi Tunnel (Turkish: Osmangazi Tüneli), formerly Kocatepe Tunnel, is a road tunnel constructed on the Adapazarı–Bilecik state highway D.650 in Bilecik Province, western Turkey.

Osmangazi Tunnel
Osmangazi Tüneli

Osmangazi Tunnel (south side)
Overview
Location	Vezirhan–Bilecik, Turkey
Coordinates	40°10′58″N 30°00′57″E Osmangazi Tunnel Location of Osmangazi Tunnel in Turkey
Status	Operational
Route	D.650
Operation
Work begun	2003
Opened	2010
Operator	General Directorate of Highways
Traffic	automotive
Technical
Length	2,465 and 2,474 m (8,087 and 8,117 ft)
No. of lanes	2 x 2
Operating speed	80 km/h (50 mph)

It is situated between Vezirhan and Bilecik bypassing the Gülümbe Pass with hairpin turns. The 2,465 and 2,474 m (8,087 and 8,117 ft)-long twin-tube tunnel carries two lanes of traffic in each direction. The 745 and 840 m (2,444 and 2,756 ft)-long Ertuğrulgazi Tunnel is located north of it. The highway Mekece-Bilecik-Bozüyük on the north-south directed D.650 at a distance of 86 km (53 mi) is a heavy traffic route for transport of industrial and agricultural products connecting the regions Marmara, Aegiean, Central Anatoli and Mediterranean.[1]

In 2000, a financial agreement was signed between the Turkish and Japanese governments to build a divided highway with two tunnels at the steep pass. Construction works on the highway began in 2003, and in 2010 the route was put into service.[1] The tunnel was initially named Kocatepe Tunnel, but was renamed in 2009 in honor of Osman Gazi (1258–1326), who founded the Ottoman Empire in the region.[2]

References

1. Ay, Hasan & Zeynel Yaman (2014-01-01). "'Hadi gülüm be' bitti, 'Oh be' geldi". Sabah (in Turkish). Retrieved 2014-05-08.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
2. "Bilecik'te köprü ve tünellerin isimleri değişiyor". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 2009-03-04. Retrieved 2014-05-08.