16 March 2016, 13:46 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in Crimea with a working visit on Friday to check the progress in the construction of the Kerch Strait bridge, which will link the Crimean Peninsula and continental Russia, the Kremlin said in a statement.
"On March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a working visit to the Crimean Federal District, during which he will review the construction of the bridge across the Kerch Strait on the island of Tuzla [in the middle of the Kerch Strait]," the statement reads.
Putin will also hold a meeting on social and economic development of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
The Russian Federal Road Agency authorized the construction of the 19-kilometer (11.8-mile) bridge in February. It is expected to open in December 2018 and will become the longest bridge in Russia.
