Romania and Ukraine want to build a 1-kilometer, $280 million bridge over the Danube, a structure that would cut two hours off the drive from Odesa to Turkey.

Romania and Ukraine want to build a 1-kilometer, $280 million bridge over the Danube, a structure that would cut two hours off the drive from Odesa to Turkey. The bridge from Orlivka, Ukraine to Isaccea, Romania would be part of the European E87 highway, a road that largely parallels the Black Sea coast. On Friday, President Poroshenko and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov inspected repairs on the Odesa-Reni stretch of this road. With upgrades on this 320 km highway nearly complete, “the freight traffic on it has increased significantly, and the [Orlivka] bridge will increase it tenfold,” Oleg Varivoda, Odesa region director of highways, told reporters.