Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 8 /Trend A.Taghiyeva/
The total cost of transportation projects in Turkey, be it the start or completion planned for 2013, will reach $60 billion, Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said, Star newspaper reported.
The minister said the Marmaray railway tunnel project is amongst the major projects to be completed this year. Also the largest project, construction of which will begin in 2013, is the third airport in Istanbul.
In general this year, it is expected to put into operation 11 projects and start construction on 102.
Yildirim noted that the tender for construction of the third airport will be held on May 3. Some 14 local and foreign companies have already expressed willingness to participate in the tender, he said.
The third airport in Istanbul will be built on the area near Lake Terkos in the north of the city. The airport's transportation capacity will reach 150 million passengers a year.
Earlier, the Air Transport Department under the Turkish Ministry of Transport, Shipping and Communications told Trend that the construction of the third airport in Istanbul will cost 10 billion lira.
The ministry also noted that the first phase of the airport will be able to serve 90 million people a year. In the future, this figure will rise to 150 million a year.