Turkey: Road, bridge tolls reap $255M

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey earned over 1.4 billion liras (some $255 million) in tolls in January-September, the Turkish Highways Directorate (KGM) announced Tuesday.

KGM data showed that nearly 343 million vehicles went through the toll booths in the first nine months of this year.

The July 15 Martyrs' Bridge and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in Istanbul, connecting Europe and Asia over the Bosphorus, reaped 303 million Turkish liras ($54 million), while highway tolls throughout Turkey earned 1.1 billion Turkish liras ($201 million) during the same period.

Last month, more than 40 million vehicles used Turkey’s bridges and highways, paying 174 million Turkish liras ($30.5 million).