Media: Russia to spend billions of rubles on fences and checkpoints for Crimean bridge
The land sections of the Crimean Bridge will be fenced off, with access to the bridge controlled by checkpoints. Billions of rubles will be spent on this, Kryminform reported with reference to the Russian state purchases website.
The news outlet notes that a competition is being held for the state enterprise Russian Ministry of Transport Departmental Security Administration (RMTDSA). The Kerch and Taman coasts and Tuzla Island will be fenced off.
In addition, the Crimean Bridge is to be equipped with eight checkpoints: three each on Taman and Kerch territory, and two on Tuzla Island. There will also be two buildings on the Kerch and Taman coast to inspect physical persons.
The RMTDSA has been appointed as the contractor to ensure transport safety and equip the Crimean Bridge with technical devices, as well as the motorways and railways towards it.
Installation of the security facilities on the motorways leading up to the bridge should be completed by April 30 2018, and by December 1 2019 on the railway section. The maximum price of the contract to ensure transport security on the Crimean Bridge is estimated at 4.4 billion rubles ($70 million USD), the motorways from Kerch at 2.07 billion rubles ($50 million USD) and the railways at 5 billion rubles ($80 million USD).
Immediately following the Russian annexation of Crimea in March 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that it was necessary to build a crossing over the Kerch strait. The bridge was scheduled to be built by 2018 and brought into use by the summer of 2019.
Ukraine withdrew from the contract with Russia to construct the bridge in 2014, following the annexation. On September 29 2017, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ordered for a lawsuit to be filed against Russia on account of the Kerch Strait Bridge.