Russia considers building a bridge between its largest island Sakhalin & mainland in Far East
The Russian government is looking at ways of connecting Sakhalin Island in the Far East to the mainland. One of the options would be building a massive bridge and almost 580 kilometers of railroads.
“Experts, consultants, and designers have considered all options, including the construction of a tunnel, but at the moment, the preference is given to a bridge both economically and from the construction point of view,” said Transportation Minister Maksim Sokolov.
The construction of such a bridge would require laying additional 580 kilometers of railroads, the minister said, adding that the ambitious project will cost hundreds of billions of rubles or several billion dollars.
Sokolov didn’t reveal any further details, but the narrowest point between Sakhalin and the mainland is the Nevelskoy Strait, meaning that the railroad bridge would have to be around 7 kilometers long.
With the bridge to the Crimean Peninsula scheduled to be opened on May 15, Sakhalin will be the only region in Russia that has no connection to the mainland. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the country wants to build either a bridge or a tunnel to the island.
In an even more ambitious project, Russia proposed building a bridge connecting Japan’s Hokkaido to the south of Sakhalin Island. The two bridges would make Japan a continental state.
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