Moscow State University students to work on construction of Kerch Strait Bridge

Students from a construction program at Moscow State University will put their skills to practice on the construction of Kerch Strait Bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula to mainland Russia in the summer of 2017, read a statement on the website of Russia's Federal Road Agency.

According to the statement, the students were offered the opportunity to partake in the construction projet by the head of head of the Federal Road Agency Roman Starovoit. Moscow State University Rector Viktor Sadovnichy supported this initiative.

The trainees from Moscow State University, noted the report, will work five days a week for eight hours a day.

"[Acquiring] unique practical skills from the leading professionals in the industry [while] working on the construction of the Crimean bridge is an invaluable experience for the industry's future pool of talent," said the head of the Federal Road Agency.

Russia's Federal Road Agency issued the rights for the construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge in February 2016. The general contractor is the company Arkady Rotenberg's company Stroygazmontazh. The value of the contract amounts to more than 228 billion rubles (approximately $3.79 billion).

The bridge is expected to start operating at the end of 2018. At this point only automobiles will be accomodated. By the end of 2019, the bridge is expected to start accomodating railway traffic.