Turkey unveiled this week its first musical road, an innovative and original project that already exists in other countries and allows drivers to listen to a melody while travelling at a certain speed along the asphalt, according to the country’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.
Speaking to Turkish media outlets, Uraloğlu said that this unique ‘musical’ stretch of road is located on the Nallıhan-Beypazarı road, northwest of the province of Ankara. When driving at a certain constant speed over the strips located on the right-hand side of the road, the resulting vibrations produce sounds that together form a melody: in this case, none other than Mozart’s famous ‘Turkish March’.
‘These markings or grooves are designed to produce a melodic sound whenever cars drive at a certain speed. Each groove or marking on the surface is arranged to provide a different frequency; when drivers maintain a constant speed, the vibrations and sounds generated by the vehicle align to create a clear musical melody,’ explained the minister.
For this type of ‘musical road’ to work, certain optimal conditions are required: the road needs to be flat and the asphalt smooth, with no damage to the surface, and vehicles must pass over the markings at a constant speed of around 100 kilometres per hour. According to Uraloğlu, the system works best on roads with little traffic and hardly any heavy traffic, to prevent wear and tear on the musical grooves.
The first part of this ‘musical road’ project has already been completed at kilometre 21 of the motorway between Nallıhan and Beypazarı, the minister said, adding that the project was carried out with precautions to ensure that it does not affect wildlife in the region. Uraloğlu took the opportunity to announce that a second installation to create a melodic road began on 17 May at kilometre 37 of the motorway between Ankara and Eskişehir, near the village of Kertek in the district of Sivrihisar.
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As a history lover, Pablo Gómez was captivated by Turkey from the first day he visited it in 2006: he got married there, has a house there… and has since become an expert on Turkey’s current affairs. With a long experience in media, he has been at the helm of hispanatolia.com since 2011.
