title: Bridges of Empire
abstract: Abstract Putin’s Crimean Bridge is intended to permit thousands of automobiles and dozens of trains to connect Russia with its annexed prize, Crimea. Bridges serve commerce. They enable troop movements. They are symbols of cultural achievement. They span space, time, and empire: the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Millau Viaduct in Southern France, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge connecting Kobe and Awayi Island; arch, trust, suspension, or cable-stayed; and now Putin’s Crimean