The otoyol (plural: ) is a road in the national network of controlled-access highways in Turkey. The Turkish word translates to "motorway", while its literal meaning is "auto-route". The first otoyol was opened in 1973.
As of December 2024, there were of otoyols in service, on a network passes through 28 out of 81 provinces in Turkey.
The system previously consisted of three separate networks; the Edirne–Istanbul–Ankara corridor, the Aegean network centred on İzmir and the Southeastern network centred on Adana. With the completion of the O-5 in 2019 and the extension of the O-21 in 2020, these three networks were connected. Older routes were built solely with state funds, while newer routes and routes under construction were developed through the build–operate–transfer (BOT; ) model, where private companies build and operate the highway for a specified period before transferring ownership to the state. This allows for private investment in highway infrastructure to support expansion and maintenance without immediate public expenditure. The network is expected to expand to by 2053. The minimum speed limit on Turkish otoyols is while the maximum speed is .
History
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.Birol Cetin, Serap Baris, Serap Saroglu - Türkiye’de Karayollarının Gelişimine Tarihsel Bir Bakış, p.173 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 section between Pozantı and Akçatekir, on what would become the O-21. In 1975 construction of a section of the motorway from Gebze to Izmit was started. Due to financial problems during 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.
Turgut Özal became Prime Minister in 1983 and brought forth a policy of constructing new otoyols in Turkey. In 1985, construction of an intercontinental motorway spanning from Edirne to Ankara was started. This motorway project would serve as an outer beltway round Istanbul and also included the construction of a second bridge over the Bosporus, the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. The first section of the motorway, the long Edirne Beltway, was opened in 1987, followed by the opening of the Outer Beltway in Istanbul, from Levent to Kozyatağı, together with the FSM Bridge on 3 July 1988. The motorway was opened in sections in the following years until being completed in 1994. 2 decades later O-7 or Third Beltway opened in 2017.
In 1988 the construction of three new motorways in İzmir were started. O-32 opened in 1992 and it became first motorway in Agean Region. O-30 was built a year after. And a year after O-31 was opened, running between İzmir and Aydın. Finally in 2008, O-30 was completed. First section of O-5 was opened between Kemalpaşa and Bornova, after that in 2019 the motorway opened by phases section between Balıkesir junctions opened in 2018 and Kemalpaşa and Akhisar section was opened in March 2019 and in August 2019 remaining sections opened between Akhisar and Balıkesir West, Balıkesir North and Bursa West junctions. In 2020 two new motorways opened to the traffic. O-33 was opened in February 2020, as a continuous part of O-30, and in November 2020 the first section of O-21 extension was opened and in December 2020 was fully opened to Niğde. In 2021 the 8th phase of O-7 opened, and on 18 March 2022 Otoyol-6 opened between Malkara and Lapseki. Including the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge.
Today, two motorway extensions under construction: In O-7 9th phase between Nakkaş-Başakşehir link road and O-31 extension to Denizli, opening in 2023.
Network map
List of Otoyol routes Number Length (km) Length (mi) Northern or western terminus Southern or eastern terminus Opened Notes 24.8 15.4 in Bakırköy, Istanbul Bağdat Ave. in Kadıköy, Istanbul 1970 - 1973 Istanbul Inner Beltway including the Bosphorus Bridge 36.9 22.9 in Mahmutbey, Istanbul in Kozyatağı, Istanbul 1986 -1988 Istanbul Outer Beltway including the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge 246.9 153.4 near Edirne in Eyüp, Istanbul 1987 İstanbul-Edirne (Bulgaria-Greece-Turkey border) Motorway 372 231.2/O1-O2 connector in Ataşehir, Istanbul near Sincan, Ankara 1984 - 2007 İstanbul-Ankara Motorway, including the Mount Bolu Tunnel 409.4 254.4 near Gebze, Kocaeli in Bornova, İzmir 2016 - 2019 İstanbul-Bursa-İzmir Motorway, including the Osmangazi Bridge and the Orhangazi Tunnel 101 62.8 near Malkara, Tekirdağ near Lapseki, Çanakkale 2022 The section containing the Çanakkale 1915 Bridge was opened in March 2022 275.2 171.1 near Kınalı, Istanbul near Akyazı, Sakarya 2016 - 2020 Northern Marmara Motorway, Contains the northernmost beltway of İstanbul, including the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge 110 68.4 Road forms complete ring around Ankara Road forms complete ring around Ankara 1987 Ankara Beltway 399.5 248.3 near Gölbaşı, Ankara near Tarsus, Mersin 1984 - 2020 Ankara-Çukurova Motorway 32 19.9 near Çakmak Bucağı, Konya near Eminlik, Niğde 1992 34.1 21.2 near Çağlıyan, Bursa near Turanköy, Bursa 2006 60.4 37.5 in Balçova, İzmir in Çiğli, İzmir 1993 - 2006 İzmir Beltway 293 182 in Buca, İzmir in Pınarkent, Denizli 1996–2024 İzmir-Aydın-Denizli Motorway 77.7 48.3 1065 Sk. in Çeşme Mustafa Kemal Sahil Blv. in Balçova, İzmir 1992 - 1996 İzmir-Çeşme Motorway 55.2 34.3Çandarlı Connector near Çandarlı in Çiğli, İzmir 2019 Northern Aegean Motorway 99.2 61.6 in Çeşmeli, Mersin in Adana 1992 Adana-Mersin Motorway 365 226.8 in Adana near Şanlıurfa 1992 Adana-Gaziantep-Şanlıurfa Motorway 150 93.2 near Ceyhan in İskenderun 1993 35 21.7 in Gaziantep in Gaziantep 2013Gaziantep Beltway
Future Projects The motorway network is expected to reach 8,325 kilometres (5,172 mi) by 2053. Future projects can be seen in the chart below:
Under Construction
Number Length (km) Length (mi) Northern or western terminus Southern or eastern terminus Opens Notes 45 28 near Nakkaş, Istanbul near Başakşehir, Istanbul 2026 52 32.3 in Kızkalesi, Mersin near Çeşmeli, Mersin 2026 120 74.6 in Mamak, Ankara in Delice, Kırıkkale 2026 Part of Ankara-Samsun Motorway. Delice-Samsun section still in planning phase. 122 75.8 in Antalya in Alanya 2027 Part of Afyon–Antalya–Alanya Motorway. Afyonkarahisar-Burdur-Antalya section still in planning phase. 127 78.9 near Malkara, Tekirdağ near Kınalı, Istanbul 2027 Part of Kınalı-Balıkesir Motorway. 19.2 11.9 near İskenderun, Hatay near Topboğazı, Hatay 2028 İskenderun-Antakya Motorway 31.3 19.5 near Dörtyol, Hatay near Hassa, Hatay 2030 Dörtyol-Hassa Motorway
Tender Phase
Number Length (km) Length (mi) Northern or western terminus Southern or eastern terminus Tender Date Notes 130 80.8 in Sivrihisar in Tulumtaş, Ankara N/A Part of İzmir–Ankara Motorway. İzmir-Sivrihisar section still in planning phase. 454 282.1 near Şanlıurfa near Habur, Silopi, Şırnak N/A Şanlıurfa-Mardin-Habur Motorway (including link to Diyarbakır) (border crossing)
Planning Phase
Number Length (km) Length (mi) Northern or western terminus Southern or eastern terminus Tender Date Notes 276 171.5 near Akyazı, Sakarya near Sincan, Ankara N/A Central Anatolian Motorway 30 18.1 in Taşucu near Kızkalesi, Mersin N/A 89 55.3 near Pozantı, Adana near Ceyhan, Adana N/A Adana peripheral motorway 137 85.2 in Gerede in Ilgaz N/A Part of . Ilgaz-Merzifon-Koyulhisar-Pülümür-Horasan-Gürbulak sections still in planning phase. 12 7.46 near Sasalı, İzmir near İnciraltı, İzmir N/A - Gulf of İzmir Passage Project between Çiğli (Sasalı) and Balçova (İnciraltı); including one undersea tunnel and one bridge 41 25.5 near Menemen, İzmir near Buca, İzmir N/A İzmir 2. peripheral motorway 155 96.3 in Denizli near Bucak, Burdur N/A Denizli-Burdur section of Aydın-Denizli-Burdur Motorway 137 85.1 near Lapseki, Çanakkale near Balıkesir N/A Lapseki-Balıkesir section of Kınalı-Balıkesir Motorway 350 217.5} near Afyonkarahisar near Antalya N/A 408 253.5 near Turgutlu, Manisa near Sivrihisar N/A Sivrihisar-İzmir section of Ankara-İzmir Motorway 231 143.5 near Kestel, Bursa near Sivrihisar, Eskişehir N/A Sivrihisar-Bursa Motorway 303 188.3 near Samsun near Delice N/A Delice-Samsun section of Ankara-Samsun Motorway 144 89.5 near Bafra, Samsun near Ünye, Ordu N/A Bafra-Samsun-Ünye Motorway 183 113.7 near Ilgaz, Çankırı near Merzifon, Amasya N/A 919 571 near Merzifon, Amasya near Gürbulak, Doğubayazıt, Ağrı N/A (border crossing) 91 56.6 near Yalova near İzmit, Kocaeli N/A 440 273.4 near Afyonkarahisar near Ulukışla, Niğde N/A Afyonkarahisar-Konya-Ereğli-Niğde (Ulukışla) Motorway 105 65.3 near Bozüyük, Bilecik near Afyonkarahisar N/A Bozüyük-Afyonkarahisar Motorway 200 124.3 near Alanya, Antalya near Silifke, Mersin N/A Alanya-Silifke Motorway 105 65.3 near Düzce near Zonguldak N/A Düzce-Zonguldak Motorway 500 310.7 near Delice near Refahiye, Erzincan N/A Delice-Sivas-Refahiye Motorway 600 372.8 near Nevşehir near Diyarbakır N/A Nevşehir-Kayseri-Malatya-Diyarbakır Motorway 220 136.7 near Sivas near Malatya N/A Sivas-Malatya Motorway 50 31.1 near Şanlıurfa near Akçakale, Şanlıurfa N/A Şanlıurfa-Akçakale Motorway (border crossing) 475 295.2 near Diyarbakır near Gürbulak, Doğubayazıt, Ağrı N/A Diyarbakır-Gürbulak Motorway (border crossing) 540 335.6 near Trabzon near Kahramanmaraş N/A Trabzon-Refahiye-Malatya-Kahramanmaraş Motorway 250 155.4 near Pasinler, Erzurum near Türkgözü, Posof, Ardahan N/A Pasinler-Türkgözü Motorway (border crossing) 460 285.8 near Rize near Diyarbakır N/A Rize-Erzurum-Diyarbakır Motorway 78 48.5 near Topboğazı, Hatay near Cilvegözü, Reyhanlı, Hatay N/A Topboğazı-Cilvegözü Motorway (border crossing) 80 49.7 near Çandarlı, Dikili, İzmir near Savaştepe, Balıkesir N/A Çandarlı-Bergama-Savaştepe Motorway 90 55.9 near Aydın near Muğla N/A Aydın-Muğla Motorway 75 46.6 near İpsala, Edirne near Malkara, Tekirdağ N/A Malkara-İpsala Motorway (border crossing) 130 80.8 near Havsa, Edirne near Kavakköy, Gelibolu, Çanakkale N/A Havsa-Gelibolu Motorway 180 111.9 near Lapseki, Çanakkale near Karacabey, Bursa N/A Lapseki-Karacabey Motorway
Toll
Most motorways are toll roads. The toll is based on the distance traveled. On most sections, the toll can be paid only with RFID-based HGS. Cash, OGS (active RFID) and KGS (card) methods have been abolished in recent years. Only the newly opened Otoyol 5, and Otoyol 7 have sections where it is possible to pay by cash or with credit card. Apart from motorways, the other state roads in Turkey are free of charge.
The revenue from tolls in 2001 were still about $203 million, rising by 2012 to approximately $542 million. In 2012, the Bosphorus bridges saw 150 million vehicles pass and the other toll roads saw over 210 million vehicles. In 2015, both bridges were used by 141 million vehicles while the other toll motorways were used by 271 million vehicles, generating a total revenue of $391 million (both bridges and motorways combined).
Standards