World's longest suspension bridge cost billions to build and spans over 2,000 metres

The world's longest suspension bridge stretches an impressive 2,023 metres, linking Europe and Asia. Having only been open for four years, it claimed the record from Japan's Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge officially opened on March 18, 2022, in North-west Turkey, beginning in Gelibolu on the European side of the country before crossing to the Asian town of Lapseki. Surpassing the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge — constructed in 1998 — by 32 metres, construction across the Dardanelles Strait commenced in 2017, slashing journey times by as much as 93%.

Since its opening, travellers no longer need to endure 90-minute ferry crossings. Both the bridge's name and its length serve as a tribute to the nation itself. The 1915 reference commemorates the Ottoman triumph during World War 1 — a significant defeat for Britain that ultimately paved the way for the declaration of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, reports the Mirror.

The 2,203-metre span pays homage to 2023, the year Turkey celebrated the centenary of the republic's founding. President Erdogan previously disclosed that the enormous structure carried a price tag of €2.5billion (just over £2billion).

He said: "Turkey has overtaken Japan, which has the longest bridge in the world in terms of midspan, and has taken the place."

Speaking further after the completion of the project, Erdogan added: "Canakkale, which has been the apple of the eyes of various civilizations, cultures and societies for thousands of years, embraces a brand new future today.

"We have come together to inaugurate the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, which we see as a ruby necklace over the Canakkale Strait."

Despite currently holding the record for the world's longest suspension bridge, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge could soon be overtaken.

Italy has put forward plans for a new bridge linking the mainland to Sicily, which would set a new global record instead. If built, it would stretch 3,300 metres.

This isn't the first occasion on which a bridge across the Strait of Messina has been proposed. A comprehensive proposal was developed in the 1990s but was scrapped in 2006.

The plans were resurrected in 2009 but cancelled once more in 2023. Last year, the proposals resurfaced.

Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni stated: "It is not an easy task, but we consider it an investment in Italy's present and future, and we like difficult challenges when they make sense."

Concerns have been voiced regarding earthquakes, powerful currents and interference with bird migration patterns.