ST.PETERSBURG, May 22. /ITAR-TASS/. Chinese investors might join a project of a bridge or tunnel construction across the Kerch strait to connect Russia's mainland with Crimea, prominent Russian businessman Gennady Timchenko said in the lobbies of the St.Petesburg World Economic Forum.

Gennady Timchenko is expected to head the Russian delegation to the Interstate Russo- Chinese Business Council, according to Boris Titov- presidential envoy for protection of entrepreneurs' rights.

In March 2014 Gennady Timchenko was blacklisted by the US administration as a subject to sanctions imposed by the US administration in connection with Russia's position on Ukraine.

"Maybe we will build a bridge or a tunnel across the Kerch strait with our Chinese partners,"Timchenko said. "The construction costs are unknown yet. it is not immediately known whether only one bridge or a complex of bridges across the Kerch strait should be built," Timchenko said.

Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said earlier that the volume of financing the construction project across the Kerch strait might total 100 billion rubles ($2.9157 billion) or even exceed the sum if a rail track is built on the bridge.

Gennady Timchenko is one of the biggest and most successful entrepreneurs in Russia with a big experience of cooperation with Chineses partners who took part in energy projects undertaken by the Russian Novatek and Sibur holdings.

Timchenko is planning to enlarge his business in China, opening a company to sell bottled water brought from a natural water spring Timchenko had earlier appropriated.