OREANDA-NEWS. December 20, 2013. Between the governments of Ukraine and the Russian Federation there was signed the Agreement on joining activities to organize building and stage-by-stage realization of a project on creating a transport corridor across the Kerch strait.

The document envisages that in 2014 the parties shall elaborate technical and economical grounding on the basis of which there are to be calculated transport and passenger flows and approved a decision about its design and construction. Besides, based on the feasibility studies there will be defined the type of the transport passway – in the shape of a tunnel or a bridge. 

The experts stress that construction of this object will afford to create a new international transport corridor joining Europe and Asia. It will be a key component in realization of a more large-scale transport project of creating a circular multimodal transport corridor around the Black Sea, initiated by the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in Kyiv in 2002. Hence, the transport pass across the Kerch strait will increase transit attractiveness of the Crimea in terms of international conveyance.

Moreover, it will afford to enhance the tourist flows owing to simplifying and shortening of the way to the Crimea, cargo handling will significantly activate. It is expected that building of the transport pass will afford to considerably shorten transport routes due to such projects as a motor ring-road and a railway around the Black Sea, to increase the time of passing transport along the EU-Asia line. Realization of the abovementioned plans will make positive impact on the economy of Ukraine.

“Creating of the transport line will create new convenient tourist gates to our main resort. And it means, it will facilitate flow of additional revenues to the budget of the Crimea, creating of new workplaces in the tourist area and social-economic development of the whole peninsula,” the head of the State Tourist Committee of Ukraine Olena Shapovalova noted. 

Moreover, the experts consider that the transport corridor will have a significant positive influence on improvement of volumes of external and transit cargo flows to the Crimea, the peninsula will receive additional working places connected to the development of related (railway and motor) infrastructures.