Turkey: Road, bridge tolls yield $265M

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA

Turkey earned 1.2 billion liras (more than $265 million) in tolls in the first eight months of this year, the Turkish Highways Directorate reported on Wednesday.

The two bridges -- the July 15 Martyrs' Bridge and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge -- which connect Europe and Asia over the Bosphorus in Istanbul reaped over 312 million Turkish liras ($69.8 million), while highway tolls throughout Turkey received around 872.2 million Turkish liras ($195 million) from January to August, according to data.

The figures indicate that more than 313 million vehicles went through the toll booths during the same period.

In August, over 42 million vehicles used Turkey’s bridges and highways, paying a total of 125.6 million Turkish liras ($21.2 million).

Drivers in Turkey pay 8.75 Turkish liras ($1.4) for bridge tolls, with higher fees for vehicles with more than two axles.