The main bridge consists of 44 spans, each 250 m long and weighing in at 8,000-plus metric tons.

Just to give you an idea of the size of these spans, the red object at the top of the picture is actually a man.

They rest on support piers placed in water up to 35 m deep.

The piers are protected from harsh wintertime conditions by conical ice shields. Using time-lapse video, researchers are able to observe the ice - pier interaction. (Real-time monitoring)