Turkey infrastructure and public-private partnership growth

Turkey has seen significant expansion in its transportation and healthcare infrastructure through large-scale construction and public-private partnership (PPP) models.

In the first half of 2026, the Turkish government allocated approximately 120 billion lira to contractors for bridges, highways, and city-hospital projects. Within this budget, the General Directorate of Highways paid 49.6 billion lira for bridge and highway operators—a figure projected to reach 103.2 billion lira by the end of the year—while the Ministry of Health’s city-hospital rentals totaled 70.2 billion lira. This shift toward peripheral city hospitals has coincided with the closure of several state hospitals in urban centers, with 25 city hospitals currently in operation.

Reflecting on long-term development, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure reported that 4,272 new bridges have been constructed over the last 24 years. This has increased the national bridge count from 5,967 in 2002 to 10,239, with a total length of 830 kilometers. Notable engineering milestones include the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, which features the world’s longest main span of 2,023 meters, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, and the Kömürhan Bridge in Elazığ, which is ranked fourth in global literature due to its unique design.

Civil aviation has also expanded significantly, with the number of airports rising from 26 to 58. This growth has increased annual passenger capacity from 55 million to over 397.4 million, moving Turkey from 18th to 7th place in global passenger traffic rankings. Additionally, the Ministry reported spending 41.5 billion lira on investment projects in the first half of 2026, with railway projects receiving the highest share of expenditures. The total rail network has expanded to 13,919 kilometers, including 2,251 kilometers of new high-speed rail lines. The government aims to increase the number of provinces directly connected by high-speed rail from 11 to 27 by 2028.