Crimean Bridge
The Crimean Bridge (Russian: Крымский мост, romanized: Krymskiy most, IPA: [ˈkrɨmskʲij most]), also called Kerch Strait Bridge or Kerch Bridge, is a pair of parallel bridges, one for a four-lane road and one for a double-track railway, spanning the Kerch Strait between the Taman Peninsula of Krasnodar Krai in Russia and the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea. Built by the Russian Federation after its annexation of Crimea at the start of 2014, the bridge cost ₽227.92 billion (US$3.7 billion) and has a length of 19 km (12 mi), making it the longest bridge in Europe and the longest bridge ever constructed by Russia.
Crimean Bridge | |
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The Crimean Bridge in 2019 | |
| Coordinates | 45°18′31″N 36°30′22″E |
| Carries | |
| Crosses | Kerch Strait: (Kerch–Yenikale Canal, Tuzla Island, Tuzla Spit remains) |
| Locale | Kerch, Crimea and Taman, Russia |
| Official name | Крымский мост |
| Owner | Government of Russia |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Double parallel railroad-road box girder bridge with a truss arch span |
| Total length |
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| Water depth | Up to 9 m (30 ft) |
| Longest span | 227 metres (745 ft) |
| Clearance below | 35 m |
| No. of lanes | 4 |
| Rail characteristics | |
| No. of tracks | 2 |
| Track gauge | Russian gauge |
| History | |
| Designer | Institute Giprostroymost – Saint Petersburg |
| Constructed by | Stroygazmontazh |
| Construction start | February 2016 |
| Construction end |
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| Construction cost | ₽227.92 billion (US$3.7 billion) |
| Opened |
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| Inaugurated |
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| Replaces | |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 15,000 cars |
| Toll | None |
In January 2015 the multibillion-dollar construction contract for the bridge was awarded to Arkady Rotenberg's Stroygazmontazh. Construction began in February 2016. The road bridge was inaugurated by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 15 May 2018. It opened for cars on 16 May and for trucks on 1 October. The rail bridge was inaugurated on 23 December 2019 and the first scheduled passenger train crossed the bridge two days later. The bridge was opened for freight trains on 30 June 2020. A record amount of traffic, totalling 36,393 cars, was recorded on 15 August 2020.
The bridge was named the Crimean Bridge after an online vote in December 2017, whilst Kerch Bridge and Reunification Bridge were the second and third most popular choices respectively.
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the bridge was attacked on multiple occasions. On 8 October 2022 an explosion occurred on the roadway leading from Russia to Crimea, causing parts of the road bridge to collapse and starting a large fire on the rail bridge. On 23 February 2023 the Russian government announced that the road bridge had been fully reopened to traffic, and on 5 May it announced that the rail bridge had been fully reopened. On 17 July 2023 another explosion occurred adjacent to the road bridge, causing a section to collapse, Ukraine claimed both attacks. On 12 August 2023 the bridge was the target of another attack. The bridge was fully reopened on 14 October.