Turkey's bridge, highway tolls revenue $367M in 2018

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA

Turkey earned nearly 1.8 billion liras ($367 million) in tolls collected at its two bridges on the Istanbul Strait as well as toll roads last year, Turkish Highways Directorate data showed.

The figure was up 23 percent year-on-year in 2018 when measured in lira, according to data compiled by Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

The July 15 Martyrs' Bridge and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, both spanning the Bosphorus and connecting Europe and Asia, together yielded 464.3 million liras ($97.8 million), while toll highways throughout Turkey reaped more than 1.3 billion liras ($272 million) in 2018.

More than 463 million vehicles went through the toll booths last year, according to data.

Drivers in Turkey pay 8.75 Turkish liras ($1.79) for bridge tolls, with higher fees for vehicles with more than two axles.

In 2017, 458 million vehicles used Turkey’s toll bridges and roads, paying nearly 1.5 billion liras ($387 million). On the Istanbul Strait, the bridge toll at that time was 7 liras ($1.92) per passage.