The bridge to Crimea: where is it located and how was it built?

For several years, the Crimean Bridge (or as this project is often called "Construction of the Century") was the main character of the news - all the media were full of headlines containing this phrase. Despite the fact that most of the bridge has already been erected, there is still a lot of work to be done, workers are working tirelessly on the construction site. In today's article, you will learn about what the Crimean bridge is and how the idea of ​​its construction came about.

Generally speaking, the Crimean Bridge is a transport passage across the Kerch Strait. This structure unites mainland Russia and the Crimean peninsula. The object consists of a road and a railway track, with the first part of the bridge already fully built and in operation, and the second is undergoing a phase of active construction.

It should be noted that the bridge to Crimea is not only a new, modern and functional architectural object. In addition to the practical, this structure also has a symbolic meaning - the entry of the Crimean peninsula into the Russian Federation. The described bridge is considered the longest not only in Russia, but throughout Europe.

Today, the Crimean Bridge plays a huge role in terms of transport links between mainland Russia and the Crimean peninsula. It is he who provides all passenger and freight traffic from one side to the other.

Initially, it was understood that the bridge would be called Kerch (as well as the strait through which it passes), but this issue caused great excitement and resonance not only in the press, but also among ordinary citizens, therefore the name of the strategic building was chosen by the joint efforts of the inhabitants of the country through a vote. As a result, the bridge is called Crimean.

The total length of the Crimean Bridge is 19 km. Moreover, the length of the road and rail crossings, both of which are part of the same large-scale structure, are slightly different. So, the motor road is a little shorter and is 17 kilometers, and the railroad is longer - its indicator is 18 kilometers. The highway of the Crimean Bridge consists of of four stripes.

The maximum speed on this route is 90 km / h. About 40 thousand cars can pass over the bridge in one day. (this indicator is also often called throughput).

As for the railway tracks, after the completion of construction, they will be a continuous double-track road belonging to the second category.... Locomotives, the mass of which can reach 7,000 tons, will move along the railway of the Crimean Bridge. The permitted speed for passenger trains is 120 km / h, and for freight trains - 80 km / h.

It is also important to note that despite the fact that transport crossings as such are not an integral part of the bridge itself, without them its correct functioning is impossible. So, in order to enter the transport passage through the Kerch Strait, you need to get on a 40-kilometer road, which departs from the old route of the A-290 highway within the Krasnodar Territory.

The railroad tracks of the Crimean Bridge will become an integral part of the Bagerovo – Vyshesteblievskaya line on the territory of Crimea. And in order to enter the railway part of the transport passage from mainland Russia, it will be necessary to overcome a 40-kilometer double-track railway. The Crimean bridge begins on the Taman Peninsula, runs along the Tuzla island and its spit, crosses the fairway and the Crimean Cape Ak-Burun, and then ends in the easternmost city of the peninsula - the hero city of Kerch.

The bridges themselves run quite long overpasses. The length of the spans varies, due to the structure of the bottom of the Kerch Strait and ranges from 55 to 63 meters. The bridge also includes navigable spans. These elements pass over the Kerch-Yenikalsky Canal. Their length is about 227 meters, width - 185 meters, and height - 45 meters (with an under-bridge navigable dimension of 35 meters).

Even at the design stage, the Crimean bridge was conceived as a strong and stable connection that will last not years and decades, but centuries. For example, it is generally accepted that the bridge will not require repairs in the next 100 years. Due to the fact that the bridge is quite long and passes through a water body, it is quite resistant to a variety of negative seismic processes - it is stated that the structure will withstand even powerful earthquakes, estimated at 9 points.

The idea of ​​building a transport crossing through the Kerch Strait, which would connect the Crimean peninsula with mainland Russia, is not new or innovative. This issue has been discussed for a long time. So, if we turn to historical sources, then we can say for certain that the proposals for the construction of such a bridge were heard long before the start of the October Revolution.

However, their plans were interrupted by the offensive of domestic soldiers. However, in the spring of 1944, after the Crimean peninsula was completely liberated from the Nazi invaders, a project was launched to build a railway bridge across the Kerch Strait. Nevertheless, this bridge was destroyed by unfavorable climatic phenomena, namely, by winds that came from the Sea of ​​Azov. Over time, the structure was completely dismantled and destroyed.

After that, several more attempts were made to organize land communications between the Crimean peninsula and mainland Russia. For example, a project was created for a two-tier bridge, which would have consisted of two railways and two motorways and would run from the Yenikale fortress to the Chushka spit. The project was approved, even construction began, but soon it was also stopped. The construction of the bridge was replaced by the construction of a ferry crossing.

Discussions continued on the construction of a bridge across the strait in the 1970s. However, at that time, the main difficulties were in the lack of funds necessary for the implementation of the project. In the 1990s, specialists created 4 bridge construction projects, and a whole competition was announced. When the Ukrainian government dominated the territory of Crimea, this project was again initiated. So, many statesmen of Ukraine have spoken out that such a bridge would help establish and strengthen friendly relations between Russia and Ukraine.

Despite the fact that the idea of ​​building the Crimean bridge, according to historical data, existed for a long time (and even some attempts were made to implement this idea), it received its direct implementation only with the arrival of the Russian government on the Crimean peninsula and the annexation of this territory to the Russian Federation.

So, on March 19, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin set a task for the Ministry of Transport to build a railway and road bridge across the Kerch Strait. In the summer of 2014, an estimate was drawn up, and in the winter of 2015, a construction contractor was appointed. In April 2015, the construction of technical buildings began, and by the winter of 2016 the project had passed all the necessary examinations and received full approval.

It is obvious that the construction of such a grandiose structure as a transport crossing through the Kerch Strait is not an easy task. In this regard, preparatory and design work was carried out especially carefully, special attention was paid to the choice of a specific route along which the bridge was supposed to pass. So, there were 4 projects in total. Three of them involved the construction of a crossing from the Chushka spit, only one - the construction of a structure along the route passing from the Taman Peninsula through Tuzla. As a result, it was the fourth option that was recognized as optimal. Generally speaking, a huge variety of factors were taken into account when choosing a route, including the following:

• length of the bridge;
• the need for rail and road access to it (both on the territory of Crimea and on the territory of mainland Russia);
• construction cost;
• development of the port "Kavkaz";
• functioning of shipping;
• ecological characteristics;
• social and political environment;
• climatic features of the territory and others.

Thus, on the basis of a careful selection, the route through the Tuzla Island was chosen as the most suitable. The main advantages of this option were recognized as follows:

• the presence of the necessary territories on which auxiliary and service facilities can be placed;
• no need for construction in dangerous tectonic areas;
• lower operating cost;
• the possibility of preserving intact historical and cultural monuments;
• bypassing the zone of activity of mud volcanoes.

Thus, the bridge that leads from mainland Russia straight to Kerch is located on this route. In addition to the fact that there were heated disputes between the specialists regarding the route, the question of what exactly should be built and in what form was also discussed for quite a long time. For example, the idea was expressed that it was necessary to build not a bridge, but a tunnel. First of all, this position was supported by the authorities of the Republic of Crimea.

After the decision to build the bridge was finally made, controversy arose as to what the object would look like. In total, there were several options. So, at the initial stages, the construction of several bridges at the same time was considered, one of which was supposed to provide road traffic, and the other - railway.

It was assumed that they would pass between the Taman Peninsula, the Tuzla Spit, Tuzla Island and the city of Kerch. Moreover, their supports were not to be at the bottom of the Kerch Strait, but on land. This option did not find its embodiment, since the transport passage along the embankment was not an optimal idea. The thing is that The Tuzla Spit is not a fairly stable formation and is constantly undergoing various dynamic processes.

In the summer of 2014, a preliminary estimate of the project was drawn up, which provided for the necessary financial costs for the construction of a transport crossing through the Kerch Strait. In the winter of next year, a contractor for the design and construction work was appointed, namely, the Stroygazmontazh company. This organization ordered the preparation of design documentation from an organization called "Giprostroymost - St. Petersburg".

The first technical and auxiliary facilities began to be built in the spring of 2015. Nevertheless, the project still had to go through all the necessary examinations and checks, which happened in February 2016. In the same period, the final cost estimate was drawn up for the construction of a transport crossing that connected Crimea and mainland Russia.

Thus, direct construction of the bridge began in February 2016. The initial stage of the work was the immersion of the piles, which later became the foundations of the supports of the entire structure. In April of the same year, the first piers of the now existing Crimean bridge were erected.

In fact, this phenomenon has enormous historical significance not only for Crimeans or Russians, but also for the whole world. The first month of summer 2016 was marked by the beginning of the installation of the first spans. Finished installing the piles of the railway bridge in August 2017. In the same month, the transportation and installation of the railway arch took place.

In December 2017, all the supports for the road bridge and 50% of the supports for the railway crossing took place. In April 2018, the process of laying an asphalt pavement on the highway of the Crimean Bridge was completed. The bridge was accepted and put into operation. Despite the completion of the road section at this stage, workers continued to build the rail section.

The opening of the road section of the Crimean bridge, which connected the Russian peninsula and the mainland through the Kerch Strait, became a festive and solemn event that will undoubtedly go down in the history of our country. This event took place on May 15, 2018. The honor of the first passage across the bridge fell to the head of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. This event was broadcast live by many Russian TV channels, and all the media wrote about it.

The next day, May 16, everyone could cross the bridge. So, according to statistics, on this day, the Crimean Bridge was discovered by 14,000 vehicles. Thus, on the very first day of the existence of the Crimean Bridge, the record for the ferry crossing was broken. Today, all transport passenger traffic between mainland Russia and the Crimean peninsula is carried out through the Crimean bridge. With its construction, these processes have become much easier and faster. Both Crimeans and residents of the mainland speak positively about the "Construction of the century".

In general, 227, 92 billion rubles were spent on the construction of the Crimean bridge, according to official data. This amount turned out to be less than the originally calculated price by 380 million rubles. So, about 9 billion rubles were spent on design and survey work. The creation of the basic structures for both parts of the bridge (road and rail) costs 170 billion rubles. In addition to these costs, the money was spent on preparatory work, the construction of technical buildings and facilities, and so on.

Crimean bridge is one of the most requested phrases in all Internet search engines. Indeed, the "Construction of the Century" attracted the attention of not only the Russian, but also the world community. However, not only the very fact of the construction of the structure is of interest, but also the following events:

• a ginger cat became the unofficial mascot of the Crimean Bridge; it was even called the Bridge;
• several feature films and documentaries dedicated to the "Construction of the Century" have been released in Russia;
• the press is often invited to the construction site of the Crimean Bridge; such press tours are visited not only by domestic, but also by foreign journalists;
• on the territory of the Russian Federation, a postage stamp was issued with the image of the Crimean bridge; in addition, there are coins and other attributes with a similar image.

It should be noted that The Crimean Bridge is a real miracle, created by human hands. Of course, first of all, this object performs a strategic and practical function, providing an unhindered transport connection between the Crimean peninsula and mainland Russia.

How the Crimean bridge was built, see the next video.