Izmir’s ambitions of establishing itself as a regional business hub and a crossroads for international trade received a boost this week with reports that the pace of work on the development of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge was picking up. Situated at the southern end of the Dardanelles Strait and scheduled for completion in 2022, the new bridge will be the world’s longest mid-span suspension bridge and will create a direct overland route between Thrace and Izmir – Turkey’s third largest city and one of its industrial engine rooms. Trucks and cars currently making the journey in either direction have to use a ferry across the strait or make the long detour via Istanbul.