Proceedings of the 13th Meeting of the
Transport and Communications Working Group
22
agency will be established, urban transport parks will be renewed and a study will be carried
out for adaptation of the urban road network.
c. Turkey
Ms. İlksen TAVŞANOĞLU, Head of Department, Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of
Turkey, delivered a presentation on Turkey’s experiences regarding transport project
appraisals.
At the outset, Ms. TAVŞANOĞLU emphasized the principle of her ministry in terms of transport
as providing accessible, economic and safe services in the fields of transport to increase the
quality of public life and contribute to the development of the country.
Concerning the decision making and appraisal processes of transport investment in the
Ministry, Ms. TAVŞANOĞLU explained that short, medium and long-term plans and programs
are prepared to provide permanent solutions to transport problems and to set-up effective
transport systems. Then, conceptual projects are prepared, the investment cost and economic
benefits of the projects are assessed. Once the feasibility of the project is envisaged, the
preliminary design, technical specifications, feasibility study, and environmental impact
evaluation report are prepared and the approval process commences.
After the approval of the project by the relevant organizations of the Ministry, an investment
application is made to the Presidency of Strategy and Budget under the Presidency of Turkey.
Following the permission of the Presidency, the project is included in the investment program
and the tender process is commenced. After the tender stage and the signing of the contract the
construction stage commences.
Ms. TAVŞANOĞLU continued her presentation by mentioning that the construction period of a
transport project is generally 3-5 years and safe, reliable systems that comply with international
standards and particularly with European norms, are produced for an optimum cost. The
construction process is undertaken under the monitoring and supervision of our Ministry. Upon
completion of the construction work, the safety-related issues are given the highest priority,
testing, and commissioning activities are conducted for a period of 1-6 months in accordance
with international standards. Once the testing and commissioning period is successfully
completed the investment is ready to be put into service. Commissioning of the investment is
followed by a 2-year Defects Notification and Warranty period. This process continues under
the monitoring and supervision of our Ministry.
Furthermore, Ms. TAVŞANOĞLU stated after the investment service has been realized without
defects, the Ministry’s monitoring of the completed project continues to ensure if the
experiences gained in the project are utilized in other planned projects. If necessary, the