Turkish PM Unveils His "CRAZY PROJECT": Canal Istanbul

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has unveiled his long-awaited "crazy project", saying, "we will build a new waterway in Istanbul" to link the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara that opens to the Aegean Sea.
Erdogan's project "Canal Istanbul" will be built in the west of Istanbul. It will be a 45-50 km-long waterway with a depth of 25 meters and a width of 150 meters.
"Turkey deserves to see 2023 with such a big, crazy and great project. Location and cost of the project are more or less clear. Only the preliminary survey will take two years," Erdogan told a meeting in Istanbul.

However, Erdogan said he would keep the location and the cost of the project secret to avoid any injustice.
"Today, we are rolling up our sleeves for one of world's greatest projects which cannot even be compared with Panama Canal, Suez Canal or Corinth Canal," Erdogan said.

He said Canal Istanbul would be a waterway that world's biggest vessels would easily pass through Istanbul and open to Black Sea or Marmara Sea.
Erdogan also said that there were no difficulties regarding the financing of the project, saying, "Turkey has the will to make this big project real, make this dream come true."
"Istanbul is the only city on earth that a sea passes through," he said. "With this project, Istanbul will become a city that two seas will pass."
27 April 2011