Three consoritia have returned bids for the construction of the Izmit bay crossing on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. Evaluation of the bids has been complicated by the number of different proposals put forward by the three consortia. The bids ranged in value between $438 million- 1,155 million. The client is the State Highways Directorate (KGM) in the Public Works & Housing Ministry (MEED 27:9:96).

The three consortia are:

Bouygues Vinsan - France's Bouygues with the local Vinsan

IBKO consortium, Italy's Impregilo; Campenon Bernard and Transroute International, both of France; Germany's Bilfinger & Berger; Spain's Dragados & Construcciones; Tekfen and Dogus, both local

Anglo-Japanese local consortium - Japan's Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI), Itochu Corporation, Marubeni Corporation, NKK Corporation, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the UK's Kvaerner Construction, and the local Enka.

The Izmit crossing includes a bridge or combination of bridges across the bay of Izmit itself, with a total length of about 3.5 kilometres, and a motorway with a total length of about 50 kilometres between Dilovasi on the northern shore of the bay to Orhangazi near Bursa. Consultants to KGM are Canada's Delcan with the local DAP.