Fragility requires accurate planning

Some seismologists predict in the coming years a sizeable earthquake will hit the city. Back in 1999, a potent quake hit 50 miles outside the city, killing 18,000 people, and waking up policy makers and citizens to reexamine the current situation and brace for a possible future quake. The late 90s earthquake hit on the North Anatolian fault, running beneath the Marmara Sea. In a congested city, Istanbul’s two main bridges crossing the Bosphorus waterway provides the only transportation for vehicles between the east and west. The two roadways can no longer capacitate the dizzying influx of daily commuter traffic. The government has planned an underwater train system, running beneath the Marmara Sea, scheduled for completion in 2011.