Russian authorities have set December 20 as the day when the Kerch Bridge, which links Russia to the Crimean peninsula, will fully reopen to traffic after suffering an explosion in early October.
«The government has allocated the necessary funds for the restoration of the car bridge (…) We plan to start traffic on December 5 on one lane, and on December 20 – completely,» Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Jusnulin has said.
Jusnulin, who held a meeting on Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that, as of today, the transport of people and goods in both directions is carried out only on the left lanes, reports TASS.
The Kerch bridge was the scene in the early hours of October 8 of a huge explosion attributed to a fuel tank being transported by rail which destroyed part of the infrastructure, according to the Russian authorities on the peninsula.
The bridge, also known simply as the Crimean Bridge, is considered an important logistical supply route for Russian forces in Crimea and southern Russian-occupied Ukraine. The 19-kilometer-long structure comprises a rail transport track and a highway. Inaugurated by Putin in 2018, it is one of the most important infrastructure works on the peninsula since its annexation to Russia in 2014.
