Russia planning Kerch Straits bridge project

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 3974 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.