The Bridge. Russia’s grand project to link Crimea

RTD followed the Crimean Bridge construction project with former boxing world champion and now Russian State Duma Deputy Nikolay Valuev, who tries his hand at being a bridge builder. The film also uncovers the region’s hidden gems with Kerch native, singer Alyona Sviridova, who meets Crimeans for whom the bridge link is vital. With the bridge deck 35 metres above the water, the giant structure stretches 19 kilometres (12 miles). The bridge is expected to carry up to 40,000 vehicles and 94 trains a day, once it becomes fully operational in 2019. Although plans to span the strait with a bridge date back to the 19th century, the link became a practical necessity for the peninsula, which only has a land border with Ukraine, after Crimeans overwhelming voted to rejoin Russia in 2014. Nikolay Valuev begins his journey at the construction camp on the Taman Peninsula, where he joins men and women working on the site. To get the first-hand experience, Nikolay tries various jobs, from welding large metal tu