SK Engineering & Construction Co., a major builder in South Korea, said Wednesday that an tunnel that goes under the Bosporus Strait has opened connecting the Asian and European continents.

In 2008, SK Engineering won the $1.24 billion project along with a Turkish firm, and the consortium started work on the project in January 2013.

The double-deck tunnel, dubbed the Eurasia Tunnel, is the first for cars under the Strait, and reduces driving time across the Strait from the current 100 minutes via bridge to 15 minutes.

The tunnel is 14.6 kilometers long, including the 5.4-kilometer section beneath the Strait, according to SK Engineering.

About 120,000 cars are expected to use the highway tunnel per day, SK Engineering said.

SK Engineering will also operate and maintain the tunnel until 2041, it said. (Yonhap)