Russia’s key bridge link for Kerch Strait

Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development has said that the Kerch Bridge now looks likely to open to traffic in December 2018. In addition to the bridge, the highway connections should also be complete within the same timeline. The Kerch Strait bridge crossing is of key importance to the area and will help reduce journey times for drivers, as well as reducing transport costs considerably. Construction has not been without its challenges due in part to the fierce winter conditions. This is not the first
February 27, 2018 Read time: 1 min

Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development has said that the Kerch Bridge now looks likely to open to traffic in December 2018. In addition to the bridge, the highway connections should also be complete within the same timeline. The Kerch Strait bridge crossing is of key importance to the area and will help reduce journey times for drivers, as well as reducing transport costs considerably. Construction has not been without its challenges due in part to the fierce winter conditions.

This is not the first bridge to be built over the Kerch Strait but is likely to be rather more long lasting than its predecessor. A temporary crossing over the Kerch Strait was constructed during WWII by the military but this was damaged by ice floes during winter and was then demolished and removed.

Road Structures

Related Content

  • New crossing planned for Kerch Strait
    June 10, 2014
    Plans for a new crossing for the Kerch Strait are now moving forward. The Russian roads company Avtodor is in charge of the project, which calls for the building of both road and rail connections. As series of options are being considered and in all the work is expected to cost in the region of US$8.2-$10.9 billion. There are eight options being investigated at present, with five looking at bridges to carry both road and rail and a further three for combined connections with bridges for the roads and tunnel
    Read More
  • Bridge of international accord from Russia-China
    May 29, 2018
    A new bridge project joining China and Russia is a sign of international accord between the two nations – Mike Woof writes A new bridge spanning what China calls the Heilongjiang River and which is known as the Amur River in Russia, is a clear sign of an important international accord between the two countries. Discussions over the bridge project were first started between China and Russia in the 1980s, with both nations seeing many changes in leadership since that time. But while the political discussion
    Read More
  • Russia planning Kerch Straits bridge project
    September 8, 2014
    The Russian authorities are further developing plans for the new bridge that will span the Kerch Strait. The bridge is now expected to cost some US$6.1 billion to construct and the completion date is expected in 2018. The work will be overseen by the Russian road authority Avtodor. This will be the first bridge crossing of the Kerch Strait since a short-lived structure was erected in the 1940s. The design will have to cope with severe winter weather and the project will be challenging technically.
    Read More
  • Russia's key highway development project
    February 8, 2012
    One of the largest construction programmes in Europe is being carried out to get a Russian resort ready for the Winter Olympics. Patrick Smith reports
    Read More

Highlighted Content