On Tuesday, January 10, traffic on the automobile part of the Crimean Bridge was blocked for several hours to carry out the planned repair and restoration work on the highway, which was seriously damaged as a result of the terrorist attack on October 8.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, the traffic was stopped from 04:00 Moscow time, after which the specialists carried out the sliding of the first span of the left road part of the bridge crossing over the Kerch Strait.

According to the plan, the movement of cars and buses on the right side of the bridge was supposed to be restored at 16:00, but the restrictions were lifted at 14:10.

“With the help of jacks along the rolling beams, the specialists moved the span to the support pedestals and started lowering the metal structures.

In a few days, the span will return to its design position, ”Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said in his Telegram channel.

He explained that the specialists used the method of transverse sliding, which made it possible to complete the work in the shortest possible time.

  • Repair and restoration work on the Crimean bridge

  • © Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation

As the press service of the Ministry of Transport specified, in total, on the left side of the road part of the bridge, it is necessary to replace four spans, each of which weighs more than 300 tons. The assembly of new metal structures is carried out at the slipways of Rosavtodor in the Krasnodar Territory.

The finished spans will be delivered one by one to the place of work using multi-wheeled self-propelled modules.

“We plan that in February all four spans will be installed and it will be possible to start laying asphalt.

In March, work on the restoration of the automobile part of the bridge should be completed, ”Khusnullin emphasized.

In early December, Vladimir Putin visited the Crimean Bridge and heard a report on the progress of restoration work.

Marat Khusnullin accompanied the president during the visit, and Nikita Khrapov, chief engineer of FKU Uprdor Taman, and Evgeny Chibyshev, deputy general director of Nizhneangarsktransstroy, told the head of state about the progress of the repair work.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov then said that during the trip, Putin had a brief conversation with the workers who are working on the bridge.

The Kremlin press service also released a video showing Putin driving a car across the bridge while listening to a report on ongoing work at the site.

  • Repair and restoration work on the Crimean bridge

  • © Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation

Terrorist attack of Ukrainian special services on the Crimean bridge

Recall that the Crimean bridge was damaged due to the terrorist attack carried out on October 8.

As a result of the explosion of a truck, two car spans were partially collapsed on the roadway.

Seven fuel tanks caught fire on the railway part of the bridge.

The FSB of the Russian Federation established that the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR MOU), its head Kirill Budanov, employees and agents became the organizer of the terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge.

According to the Russian special services, the explosive device was camouflaged in rolls with construction polyethylene film and sent from the seaport of Odessa to Bulgaria in early August.

Subsequently, the cargo was sent to Georgia, and from there to Armenia.

As the FSB clarified, in Yerevan the cargo was cleared according to the rules of the EAEU, the documents were replaced, where other recipients and senders were indicated.

Then the cargo crossed the Russian-Georgian border and was delivered to the Krasnodar Territory.

The documents were changed again, after which a non-existent company in Crimea became the recipient, the FSB noted.

The pallets were placed in a truck that left for Simferopol.

While the car was moving along the Crimean bridge at 06:03 Moscow time, it was blown up.

The FSB emphasized that the control over the movement of cargo along the entire route was carried out by an employee of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense.

During the proceedings within the framework of the criminal case, five citizens of Russia were detained, as well as three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia, who participated in the preparation of the crime.

The investigation is ongoing.