Turkey’s Privatization Board has officially launched an auction to sell the 25-year operating rights for eight toll roads and two Bosphorus bridges, which connect Asian and European parts of Istanbul, in a single package.
Nearly 24.9 million vehicles passing over the two bridges, Bosphorus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet, paid 108.4 million Turkish Liras in the first two months of 2011. The government’s revenues from the remaining toll roads and tunnels exceeded 74.7 million liras over the same period, according to official figures.
Along with the bridges, the Edirne-Istanbul-Ankara, Pozantı-Tarsus-Mersin, Tarsus-Adana-Gaziantep, Toprakkale-İskenderun, Gaziantep-Şanlıurfa, İzmir-Çeşme and İzmir-Aydın highways, İzmir and Ankara freeways, and maintenance facilities, toll collection centers and other production units have all been put on sale.
The process
Investors must apply to the board by Nov. 18 for prequalification and will be required to deposit $200 million as collateral to bid, according to an announcement by the board published in the Official Gazette on Thursday. The bidding deadline is Dec. 15.
According to data provided by the Privatization Board authorities, the length of the roads to be connected will be 1,975 kilometers once the connection roads subject to sale are included, Anatolia news agency reported Thursday.
An additional bargain and open bidding may follow the sealed tender process, the officials said.
The U.S. dollar will be the currency used in the tender, they said.
The toll prices will be included in the contract with the winner of the rights, they added.
The board said privatization will reduce accidents, improve technology and productivity, save time and energy, reduce environmental pollution and provide other benefits, but did not provide any detailed explanation. The personnel working on the highways and relevant facilities in question will not be transferred to the new operator, but will be employed in other departments of the Turkish Directorate General of Highways, officials said.
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Source : hurriyetdailynews.com
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