Zilek Bridge

Zilek Bridge Zilek Köprüsü
Coordinates	37°49′45″N 40°59′50″E / 37.8291°N 40.9973°E / 37.8291; 40.9973Coordinates: 37°49′45″N 40°59′50″E / 37.8291°N 40.9973°E / 37.8291; 40.9973
Carries	1 track of the Fevzipaşa-Kurtalan railway
Crosses	Batman River
Locale	Ağılköy, Diyarbakır Province and Soğuksu, Batman Province
Owner	Turkish State Railways
Characteristics
Material	Reinforced Concrete
Total length	508 m (1,667 ft)
No. of spans	10
History
Designer	NOHAB
Constructed by	Turkish State Railways
Construction start	1939
Construction end	1944 (1944)[1]
Zilek Bridge Location in Turkey

The Zilek Bridge is a 508 m (1,667 ft) long Bowstring-arch bridge that crosses the Batman River in southeastern Turkey. Located between the cities Diyarbakır and Batman, the bridge carries the Fevzipaşa-Kurtalan railway.

The bridge was constructed between 1939-44 as part of the extension of the railway from Diyarbakır to Kurtalan. When first completed, it was the second longest railway bridge in the country after the Karkamış Bridge. The bridge will be replaced by a new 1,430 m (4,690 ft) long viaduct that is expected to completed by the end of 2017. When the new bridge opens, the Zilek bridge will be flooded by the Ilısu Dam.^[2]

References