Turkey's Erdogan takes first step in 'crazy' canal project

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken the first step in the construction of a ship canal skirting Istanbul that the government says will ease marine traffic in the Bosporus Strait

ISTANBUL -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday took the first step in the construction of a ship canal skirting Istanbul that the government says will ease marine traffic in the Bosporus Strait. “Today we are opening a new page in the history of Turkey’s development,” Erdogan said in a bridge ground-breaking ceremony in Sazlidere, west of Istanbul. “We see Canal Istanbul as a project to save the future of Istanbul … to ensure the safety of life and property of Istanbul’s Bosporus and the citizens around it.” The idea of a canal linking the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea — dubbed his “crazy project” by Erdogan — was first suggested in 2011 and revived three years ago.