Otoyol

Otoyol
Route markers for three Turkish Motorways
Otoyol network in Turkey. Motorways in use, under construction and projected.
System information
Maintained by Karayolları Genel Müdürlüğü
Length:	2,542 km (2016) (1,580 mi)
Formed:	1968
Highway names
Otoyols:	Otoyol XX (O-XX)
System links
Motorways in Turkey List

The Otoyol (Plural: Otoyollar) is the national network of controlled-access highways in Turkey. The network spans 2,542 kilometres (1,580 mi) and was first opened in 1973. Another term for the system is Otoban, which is a popular but unofficial term transcribed from the German name, autobahn. The term Otoyol translates to motorway while the literal meaning is auto-route.

The Otoyol system is still in development as the entire network is not connected to each other. There are three separate networks of motorways that are currently being linked through the construction of new motorways. The network is expected to expand to 4,773 kilometres (2,966 mi) by 2023 and to 9,312 kilometres (5,786 mi) by 2035. The minimum speed limit on the Turkish otoyols is 40 km/h while the maximum speed is 120 km/h.

The construction of a national road system was prioritized in 1948, where the construction of new roads were greatly accelerated. This led to a rise in automobile usage in Turkey. By the 1960s, traffic problems were becoming prevalent in large cities and capacity on intercity roads needed to be upgraded. Plans to build new expressways were put into action in 1968, when construction of the Istanbul Inner Beltway was started. The Beltway, known as the O-1, was opened together with the Bosporus Bridge in 1973 with great fanfare. This became the first motorway to be built in Turkey. The Istanbul Beltway was then to be a part of a large expressway spanning from Edirne, in East Thrace, to İskenderun, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Construction of this expressway first started in 1973 on a 14 km (8.7 mi) section between Pozantı and Akçatekir, on what would become the O-21. In 1975 construction of a 40 km (25 mi) section of the motorway from Gebze to Izmit was started. Due to financial problems during in the following years, construction of the two otoyols were greatly slowed down. It wasn't until 1984 that these two motorways were opened to traffic.