Chinese investor proposes tunnel for Crimea's Kerch Strait
The strait separates the Kerch peninsula of Crimea from the Taman peninsula of Krasnodar Krai.
Bavykina said the tunnel's construction would not interfere with navigation in the strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. The investor suggested the tunnel would be wide enough for two rail tracks and a six-lane highway, with extra infrastructure transporting backup electricity and gas.
The Chinese investor is a state-owned construction company which has constructed a similar tunnel in Macau, the report said. It also offered the construction of port infrastructure solutions.
Bavykina said the project will take two and a half years and that the construction will be funded by the Bank of China.
An earlier FederalPress report said that the construction of a bridge across the strait is scheduled to begin this fall. The bridge is estimated to cost US$8 billion during the preliminary construction.
The alternative project proposed by China may seem more appealing. "The Russian Federation does not have to invest right now, as the government's guarantee of the return of funds on a set schedule is enough. And in terms of price the proposal is considerably cheaper than other projects," Bavykina said.
Source: www.wantchinatimes.com