First Trucks Drive Over Crimea Bridge

The 19-kilometer-long bridge, connecting the Crimean Peninsula with Russia’s mainland, was unveiled in May, becoming the longest one in Europe.

The first trucks, loaded with milk, meat products and construction materials, arrived in Crimea via the brand-new Kerch Strait Bridge, the information center "Crimean Bridge" reported on Monday. 

Over the first eight hours, more than 700 trucks went across the bridge.

At midnight, the authorities lifted truck restrictions on the new



section of the A-290 highway along the Crimean bridge that had been introduced for the high holiday season.

In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin held an official opening ceremony for the Crimean bridge, which was built to facilitate transportation between the peninsula and mainland Russia, as the two parts were previously connected only by a ferry line. Construction work on the 19-kilometer-long bridge was finished six months early, with road traffic having opened in May, and rail traffic expected to kick off in 2019.