Turkey Plans to Sell Bridges and Highways in 3 or 4 Packages

Work on privatizing Turkey's bridges and highways is under way in Ankara. Under a presidential decision, bridges and highways operated by the General Directorate of Highways (Karayollari Genel Mudurlugu) will be privatized by December 31, 2031. Bridges, highways, and their surrounding and connecting roads will be transferred for 30 years.

The decision says the assets may be privatized as a whole or broken into parts. Operating rights transfer, leasing, usufruct rights, revenue-sharing models and other suitable methods may be used alone or in combination. No ownership will be transferred.

Highways to be split into three- or four-asset packages

The 15 Temmuz Sehitler and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges, along with highways and ring roads, are expected to be divided into parts. The assets will be offered in packages of three or four. Sources following the process told the ANKA News Agency that a busy highway pair would be combined in one package with lower-traffic roads. As a result, the operation of all bridges and highways could be handed to the private sector for a fee.

The sources also said the final method has not yet been decided.

Domestic and foreign interest continues

According to the sources, both domestic and foreign investors remain interested in the privatization. French companies stand out among foreign bidders. Representatives of some French firms voiced this interest during meetings in Ankara. Companies that build and operate bridges and highways in Turkey under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model are also following the process closely.