Turkey moves ahead with tender for Istanbul's controversial waterway project

Turkey's Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure intends to invite bids and commence building the 45-kilometre Kanal İstanbul as soon as possible, according to a recent government response. Survey and engineering phases are complete, and zoning and transport-infrastructure designs are underway, but the ministry gave no timeline for the tender or funding. Although a 2021 groundbreaking ceremony marked the project's symbolic start, actual canal digging has yet to begin, with development focused on bridges, roads and housing.

The government argues the canal will reduce shipping traffic through the Bosporus, while opponents cite risks to the Sazlıdere reservoir, Lake Terkos and the Küçükçekmece Lagoon, and claim it benefits firms close to the state. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, currently detained on corruption charges he denies, has accused the government of accelerating housing construction along the route. An expert panel in 2025 warned the project could render the Sazlıdere reservoir unusable and damage local ecosystems.