Menemen Gediz Bridge

The Menemen Gediz Bridge (Turkish: Menemen Gediz Köprüsü) is a bowstring-arch bridge in Turkey that crosses the Gediz River near Menemen. It is 156.6 m (514 ft) long. Completed in 1935, the bridge was one of the first five reinforced concrete bridges built by the Republic of Turkey.

On 27 November 2014, the bridge was given heritage status by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Board.

The coastal route north from Smyrna (modern-day İzmir) to Bergama was an important trading route for centuries. The main natural obstacle along the route was the Gediz river, running through the mostly flat Gediz Plain just north of Menemen. Despite the importance of the route, no bridge had been constructed across the river, forcing travelers to wade through the water. This proved to be a difficult task for caravans and horse-drawn carriages.

An alternate route opened in 1890, when the Smyrna Cassaba Railway built a railway to Soma (37.7 km (23.4 mi) east of Bergama), from its main line at Manisa. This allowed for a faster route to Smyrna, despite traveling further inland. During World War I, a wooden bridge was constructed over the Gediz near Buruncuk to allow for quicker troop movement in...