The longest floating bridge connecting two continents: TRANSMAR

This paper deals with the conceptual design of the longest floating bridge TRANSMAR intended to connect two continents namely Europe and Asia over Marmara Sea. Due to heavy traffic on two suspension bridges over Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, TRANSMAR has been thought of an alternative way to connect two continents without passing through the congested highways. Technical feasibility of the giant project has been investigated considering various aspects of the design such as environment, topography and other technical details. The environmental conditions and bathymetric analysis of the site were studied beforehand. The concept design details and structural configuration have then been analyzed. Material and mooring system selection also play an important role during the design process. Hydrodynamic analysis, 3-D modeling and model tests helped to determine design loads on the system and operational details. The final steps around the design cycle were setting the safety criteria and carrying out risk analysis and implementation. Detailed technical analysis of the bridge has proven the feasibility of such a structure.