* Privatisation to include four main highways, two bridges
* To be completed by end-2012
* Sell-offs seen attracting revenue of $5-7 billion
ISTANBUL, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Turkey has added major highways and two bridges linking Europe and Asia to its privatisation programme and aims to complete the sales by the end of 2012, the government said on Wednesday.
Analysts expect the road and bridge privatisations, including two suspension bridges across Istanbul's Bosphorus Straits, to bring in revenue of between $5 billion and $7 billion.
Some of Europe's top infrastructure firms, including Italy's Astaldi and Atlantia, France's Egis Projects, and Spain's Abertis and Brisa are eyeing the prospects in fast-growing Turkey, bankers told Reuters in July.
The Turkish economy is set to grow 6 percent to 7 percent this year, after shrinking nearly 5 percent last year due to the global crisis.
Under the decision by the High Board of Privatisation, published in the country's Official Gazette, the operating rights for the bridges, roads and related facilities will be awarded for 25 years.
The four main highways and several link roads targeted for sale include a major route linking Edirne, Istanbul and the capital Ankara, as well as motorways in southern Turkey.
Privatisations have recently focused on the energy sector, with the sale of power production and distribution facilities. The Privatisation Administration said last week all grids would be in private hands by the first half of 2011.
The programme nearly slowed to a halt last year due to unfavourable market conditions due to the global crisis.
According to the government's medium-term economic plan, income from the sale of state assets is expected to be 3.9 billion lira ($2.7 billion) this year, jumping to 13.7 billion lira in 2011, and followed by 12.7 billion lira in 2012 and 10.3 billion lira in 2013. ($1=1.433 Turkish Lira) (Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Karen Foster)