The latest update from the press service covering the Crimean road and bridge project indicates traffic has resumed on the section damaged by the October explosion. Earlier, two of the four lanes were open to vehicles as restoration continued.
On December 5 at 10:50 am, vehicles were redirected to the right-hand carriageway as part of ongoing repair work. The contractor overseeing this portion of the bridge confirmed the shift in traffic flow. In a separate briefing, officials mentioned that trucks would not yet use the repaired segment until further testing and safety checks are completed.
ferries stopped
Earlier in October, a major traffic jam formed at the Kerch Strait crossing due to adverse weather conditions. Hundreds of cars waited in the village of Ilyich. By early December, with ferry service suspended, roughly 370 vehicles were still queued each morning.
Nikolai Lukashenko, acting head of Crimea’s Ministry of Transport, explained that strong winds halted ferry operations. He forecast improved weather by Tuesday, December 6, which would allow ferry traffic to resume. He noted a storm warning had been in effect since Saturday, and ferry crossings could restart once the wind subsided, potentially by Tuesday.
What else remains to be repaired on the Crimean bridge?
Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said on November 3 that the goal was to complete the erection of spans on the damaged section by November 10. A plan to open traffic on one lane of that segment by December 5 was achieved. By November 19, builders had finished sliding four spans into place, and Khusnullin reported adjustments to the clearances on the right side of the road section.
The second lane is expected to be in service by December 20 after which openings on the left side will be dismantled. The overall repair of that section is anticipated to conclude by March 30, 2023. In November Khusnullin stated that the railway section would be repaired within six to seven months. Restoration work on the infrastructure was planned to continue through July 1 without impacting traffic, and officials noted work was progressing on schedule.
Repair of the railway portion, which requires replacing two spans, was planned to finish in September 2023 with the possibility of acceleration according to Khusnullin.
The Kerch Strait bridge, begun in 2016, features both railway and road components. Car traffic began in 2018, followed by the railway segment a year later. The bridge spans about 19 kilometers, and the project cost reached 223.6 billion rubles according to the design and scope established at the outset.
explosion on the bridge
On the night of October 8, a truck explosion caused a collapse of two car lanes and ignited fuel tanks aboard a passing train, resulting in four deaths. Investigations indicated that explosive devices were transported from Odessa to Ruse, Bulgaria, then via Georgia to Armavir in Russia before the bridge was attacked. The authorities later linked the attack to the Ukrainian side, with investigators stating a group of people prepared the assault and several were detained.
In the days following the blast, traffic on the vehicle section briefly resumed in the opposite direction, and by evening traffic on the railway bridge had reopened. A ferry system was introduced across the Kerch Strait to help manage the traffic load. The president described the incident as a terrorist act, and the security services attributed the plan to Ukrainian intelligence operatives with multiple individuals involved in the plot.