The bridge's deck height is 64 meters above sea level, allowing large maritime vessels to pass underneath.
It was designed by the British engineering firm Freeman Fox & Partners, who also designed the first Bosphorus Bridge.
The structure was built to alleviate traffic congestion on the older, more southernly Bosphorus Bridge.
The name commemorates Mehmed the Conqueror, who captured Constantinople in 1453.
It is one of only three bridges in the world that connects two different continents.
The construction was completed in just under three years by a Japanese-led international consortium.
Unlike the first bridge, this span features a unique aesthetic design with higher steel towers and different suspension configurations.
The bridge is illuminated by a dynamic LED system at night, which changes colors for various national holidays or awareness campaigns.
The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge, is a gravity-anchored suspension bridge spanning the Bosphorus Strait. It connects the European side in Sariyer to the Asian side in Beykoz. Completed in 1988, the structure has a total length of 1,510 meters with a main span of 1,090 meters. It functions primarily as a highway artery for the O-2 motorway, facilitating high-volume transit between the two continents. The steel deck is suspended by vertical hangers from two main cables supported by towers rising 165 meters above the road level. The bridge is named after the 15th-century Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. It serves as a vital component of the transcontinental transport infrastructure of Istanbul. Pedestrian traffic is prohibited on the bridge deck, as it is strictly reserved for vehicular traffic.
From the waterfront cafes in Anadolu Hisarı or the terrace of the Rumeli Hisarı museum.
View the bridge from the Rumeli Hisarı fortress on the European side for the best scale perspective.
Visit the seaside tea gardens in Anadolu Hisarı to observe the bridge's massive structure from the Asian shore.
Avoid attempting to walk onto the bridge, as it is a major highway with no pedestrian walkways.
Do not attempt to enter the bridge on foot or by bicycle; it is strictly prohibited and dangerous due to heavy high-speed traffic.
