02.12.2025 17:10
A pedestrian overpass built in Kocaeli has become the subject of a legal battle. A family living in the apartment right next to the overpass filed a lawsuit on the grounds that pedestrians could see inside their home. Following an expert report, the overpass was demolished and rebuilt one meter back. A local resident stated, "Right now, you can still see into the house; not much has changed. They need to completely cover this overpass from above."
A pedestrian overpass that was demolished by court order as a result of a lawsuit filed by a citizen in Kocaeli's Körfez district on the grounds that "the inside of the house is visible" has been rebuilt just 1 meter away from its original location and opened for use. Evaluating the decision, a citizen stated, "The house is still visible, not much has changed. When you go up, you can still see the house; taking it back 1 meter doesn't make much sense."
The overpass, which connects the Yeniyalı and Barbaros neighborhoods on the D-100 highway, became the subject of a legal battle after it was built by the General Directorate of Highways in 2012. The Taşyürek family, living in the apartment right next to the overpass on the Barbaros neighborhood side, applied to the court in 2014, claiming that pedestrians could see inside their home.
EXPERT: THE PRIVACY OF THE HOUSE IS BEING VIOLATED
An expert appointed by the Kocaeli Administrative Court, which examined the issue, determined in their report that the overpass had technical deficiencies and violated the privacy of the house. The report emphasized that the access points should be made suitable or the overpass should be removed. The court ruled for the demolition of the overpass in 2016. Following an appeal by the General Directorate of Highways, the process was taken to the appellate court, while the local municipality at the time temporarily covered the parts of the overpass that overlooked the family's home with metal panels.
DEMOLISHED, REBUILT 1 METER BACK
With the completion of the legal process in 2023, the higher court issued a final decision for the demolition of the overpass, with no further appeal options available. Following the decision, the teams from the General Directorate of Highways took action and completed the dismantling of the overpass last week. A new overpass, built just 1 meter away from the demolished structure, has been made available for public use.
"NOTHING HAS CHANGED"
Citizen Ömer Tek, who stated that the overpass has only been moved back 1 meter, said:
"A citizen is suing the overpass because the house is visible. The citizen wins the long-running case. As you can see, they move the overpass back 1 meter. Does that express anything? That's also uncertain. In the end, the citizen wins the case. Because the citizen wins the case, the overpass is demolished, and they build a new one. You can see the house, the balcony, the bedroom, everything. The house is still visible; not much has changed. When you go up, you can still see the house; taking it back 1 meter doesn't make much sense. They need to completely cover this overpass from above."