By Adeeb Al-Sayed
MOSCOW, Oct 16 (KUNA) -- The Crimean bridge, linking the Russian Federation to the Crimea Peninsula, is a great and unique feat displaying Russian engineering ingenuity.
The bridge, which is 19 meters in length, was planned for construction since before and during the Soviet era in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
However, the high cost of the project prevented the bridge project from taking off.
Long after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia and the Ukraine entered in a long negotiation in an effort to get the project running and in 2013, a deal was signed to build the bridge.
The Crimean Bridge project was put on hold because of the toppling of former President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014.
In 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the bridge project to commence at a cost of USD five billion under heavy security.
In May 15, 2018, President Putin inaugurated the Crimean Bridge with around 14,000 vehicle traversing from Russia to the Crimean Peninsula and vice versa in the first two days.
The railway portion of the project was expected to be finalized by 2019. Six Russian companies were involved in the construction of the Crimean Bridge. (end) as.gta