ICA General Manager Serhat Soğukpınar stated that Istanbul remains the most important transit point on the east-west trade route and said that the Northern Ring Motorway and YSS Bridge will be used to reduce Istanbul’s traffic congestion, reduce carbon emissions, provide logistics in earthquakes, transit transportation. He said that it was built to facilitate and support the economic development of the region.
Stating that they are the first private highway company to receive the ISO 39001 Road Traffic Safety Certificate for ensuring highway and traffic safety, Soğukpınar said, “We are strengthening our route with the aim of providing a safe, comfortable and time-saving road experience. There are electric charging stations at all rest facilities along our highway. 2023 “We aim to increase the number of electric charging stations to more than 100 by the end.” he said.
Soğukpınar stated that the Northern Ring Motorway is compatible with autonomous driving technology with its existing technology infrastructure, and in the light of technological developments, smart transportation systems and traffic systems are used to improve processes such as increasing traffic-road safety, healthy functioning of fare collection systems, and continuing communication with customers without interruption. He stated that they benefited from all the opportunities of engineering.
Stating that Turkey has become one of the important countries in the world in road transportation with the infrastructure investments made in recent years, Soğukpınar said:
“Especially since the early 2000s, the highway network has been expanded with important projects. However, compared to some European countries, Turkey’s highways still need improvement in terms of durability and maintenance quality. European countries are making major investments to constantly improve their highway infrastructure and R- “Important work is being carried out in the field of GE. In order to develop the highways in Turkey and reach higher standards, it is important to strengthen the R&D infrastructure, increase durability, comply with international standards and maintain regular maintenance.”
“Record transits show that transportation needs are met”
Serhat Soğukpınar reported that on the Northern Ring Motorway and YSS Bridge, in the January-August period of this year, compared to 2021, the number of vehicle passes with foreign license plates increased by 32 percent and the total number of vehicle passes increased by 37 percent.
Soğukpınar said, “YSS Bridge and Northern Ring Motorway make many important contributions to Istanbul traffic and our country. Istanbul, which was the 9th city with the busiest traffic among 416 cities worldwide in 2019, has fallen to the 15th place among mega cities today. “Fees are a frequently used method to finance such large projects. Road and bridge tolls are determined according to factors such as the cost of the project and operating and maintenance expenses.” he said.
Stating that the fees for the YSS Bridge and the Northern Ring Motorway are determined in accordance with market conditions, Soğukpınar continued as follows:
“These fees are close to the standards of similar projects applied worldwide. The record passage numbers of the Northern Ring Motorway and YSS Bridge show that these projects are in high demand and meet an important transportation need for the region. In addition, the size of the number of passages indicates that these projects will contribute to the regional economy and transportation. It also shows that it contributes. I think that such large projects should not be evaluated only with tolls. The ease of transportation provided by the project to the region, the reduction of traffic congestion, its environmental impacts and economic contributions should also be taken into consideration. The Northern Ring Motorway and YSS Bridge are a solution to Istanbul’s traffic problems. “It offers solutions and contributes to the economic development of the region.”
“The Build-Operate-Transfer model is not a model unique to our country”
ICA General Manager Soğukpınar stated that innovative practices are needed regarding the financing models of highways in Turkey.
Stating that the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model is a widely used model in the financing of transportation projects in Turkey, Soğukpınar said:
“In this model, the private sector builds the project, operates it and transfers it after a certain period of time. This helps to release public resources and complete the project quickly. The BOT model is not only a model specific to our country. Large infrastructure investments of European Union member countries require public resources. It is built and operated by the private sector using the BOT model in order to protect and improve the operating process. The Association of European Toll Road Infrastructure Operators (ASECAP), whose members are all BOT projects, argues that the infrastructure investments required for alternative fuel and autonomous vehicles should be made by the private sector. “With a similar opinion, we think that the technological monitoring and investments necessary for the future of transportation should be carried out by the private sector.”
ASECAP Days Summit will be in Istanbul on 18-20 September
ICA General Manager Serhat Soğukpınar said that Istanbul is preparing to host Europe’s leading highway operators within the scope of the ASECAP Days Summit on 18-20 September.
Stating that more than 200 international highway, bridge and tunnel operators, Turkey’s leading infrastructure operators and leading companies of the sector will attend the summit, Soğukpınar said that ICA, the first and only member of ASECAP from Turkey, will also participate in transportation and logistics services. He stated that it stands out as the only private company in the world with 100 percent Turkish capital, operating in all branches of the sector.
Emphasizing that ASECAP membership is of great importance for Turkey, which has a political geography connecting continents, Soğukpınar added that with this event, they aim to raise awareness in Turkish companies about the importance of the activities of ASECAP, which is a non-governmental organization.
