The bridge to Russky was called a “useless $1 billion structure”

The bridge to Russky Island in Vladivostok has been criticized since the very beginning of construction. Some experts questioned the feasibility of such a grandiose project. Another fly in the ointment was added by Alexey Mikhailov, an analyst at the Center for Economic and Political Research (EPIcenter).

WHY IS IT NEEDED?

The cable-stayed bridge, like its Golden “brother”, connecting the city center with Cape Churkin to Russky Island was built as part of Vladivostok’s preparation for the APEC summit. The building is unique. After all, at the Russian Bridge - and this is his official name- the world's largest span among cable-stayed bridges, 1104 meters long, and the first pylons in height - 324 m.

Economist Alexey Mikhailov cites other impressive figures: the cost of the structure is about $1 billion. The same amount was spent on the access road to the airport and the city.

This cable-stayed bridge is actually very beautiful, floating in the air with a central span of more than 1 kilometer at an altitude of 70 meters, supported by two pylons 324 meters high. He is probably great at engineering solutions. And it will certainly now become a new symbol of Vladivostok. But... why is it needed? - asks the expert.

The analyst’s main argument “against the bridge” is the same as that of many critics of the structure - it has a small carrying capacity, and the population of the island is too small for such costs.

The bridge with a capacity of 50 thousand cars per day leads to the small island of Russky with a population of 5 thousand people. And those mostly poor fishermen living in barracks-type houses do not have cars, says Mikhailov.

In counterbalance to this criticism, the Vladivostok authorities have repeatedly stated that the bridge was built, among other things, for the development of the island, the program of which includes the construction of many large facilities and the creation of infrastructure for 150 thousand people.

BRIDGE “DOES NOT PAY OFF”

What's next for Russky Island? Now there are the same 5 thousand residents left without cars. Honestly, is it really worth spending $2 billion to access beaches by car? Is there no way to get there by ferry? After all, it runs every two hours and even transports cars, it’s not that expensive,” the expert continues.

The development of tourism and the construction of new housing on the island are one thing. But, perhaps, the main argument in favor of the feasibility of the bridge was the Far Eastern Federal University under construction on the same island. After all, it was planned that the merged university would become the largest educational institution countries and even the world. Students from all over the world will come to study there, and the best foreign teachers will teach there. However, the contractor did not have time to complete the FEFU buildings. And the great “relocation plan” failed, and the students remained on the mainland, at least until construction was completed. Nowadays, only nonresident students live on the island, who go to classes in the city every morning.

To all this we can add the island’s absolutely undeveloped road infrastructure. After you leave the bridge, you find yourself on real “Russian roads”, driving along which you need to resort to auto repair services. That’s why most townspeople don’t dare go there. And taxi companies raise prices for trips to the island - up to 1 thousand rubles from the center of Vladivostok.

Alexey Mikhailov compares the Russky Bridge with its “colleague” Golden Gate in San Francisco, USA. Just not in favor of the first one.

They are similar in basic characteristics. But the Golden Gate was built 75 years ago, is a toll gate and actually handles 120 thousand cars a day. This bridge literally makes half a million dollars every day. Is the Russian Bridge free and how much traffic will it actually carry per day now, after the end of the APEC summit? A couple thousand cars? Or maybe a couple hundred? - writes the expert.

However, it is worth noting that neither the bridge builders nor the Primorye authorities share the economist’s opinion.

This will be a comfortable area of ​​Vladivostok, very convenient for living. Children will be able to go to school here, then to university - and will not have to travel anywhere. As for the other territory of the island, it is planned to leave it as a tourist and recreational zone, says the governor of Primorye Vladimir Miklushevsky.- Only the coast will be built up - we're talking about about boarding houses and holiday homes. Still, the nature of the island must be preserved as much as possible for posterity.

Take a look at any photograph or tourist brochure: if there is a bridge in a city, it will certainly be there. The bridge is a kind of monument, an architectural decoration of the city, an achievement of its inhabitants. San Francisco - Golden Gate, New York - Brooklyn Bridge, Hong Kong - Stonecutter Bridge, - the director of the branch of JSC USK MOST in Vladivostok expresses his opinion Alexey Baranov.- And one more undeniable advantage, purely practical. By connecting the mainland with Russky Island, the bridge opened up new development prospects. Many cities in Russia, including Vladivostok, suffer from heterogeneity of style: in different periods, under different governments and cultures, they built differently and did not always care about compatibility. And the facade of the city must be properly planned once and for all, only then will it be beautiful. Of course, the city cannot afford to rebuild existing neighborhoods. But in Russky there is a chance to start with a clean slate, ending up with a large and harmoniously built-up area, very promising for development.

BY THE WAY

The issue of building a bridge to Russky Island was raised in the first half of the 20th century. The first project was completed in 1939, the second in the 1960s. However, neither one nor the other was ever implemented. At the beginning of October 2007, NPO Mostovik won the tender to design a bridge crossing to Russky Island. The contractor was JSC USK MOST. Construction of the bridge began in 2008; on July 1, 2012, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev opened working traffic on the bridge, and a month later, on August 1, the bridge was opened for personal transport.

As folk wisdom says, to good man gets used to it quickly. Today it is difficult to imagine that just a year ago it was possible to get to Russky Island only by ferry. The trip took from 40 minutes to an hour and a half depending on the destination. Today, the journey has been reduced to 5-10 minutes, and all thanks to the implementation of a unique project - the construction of a cable-stayed bridge connecting Russky Island with the mainland.

How it all began

Although the idea of ​​​​creating a bridge to Russky Island (or rather, back then cable car) across the Eastern Bosphorus Strait originated in 1939, construction began only in 2008, and then by chance. Popular rumor says that Minister of Economy German Gref and former governor of Primorye Sergei Darkin were returning from the next summit in Kuala Lumpur. And, flying over Russky Island, Gref dropped the phrase: let the APEC 2012 Summit be held right here! But how will heads of state get there? Then they remembered the project of the last century.

Whether this is true or not, the bridge was still built, and what a bridge it was! Describing it, one has to use the word “most” more than once - this is one of the largest cable-stayed bridges in the world with the longest central span and cables, as well as the highest pylon. According to the World Real Estate Portal, the bridge was recognized as the most significant architectural project in Russia in 2012.

Technical features

Bridge length - 1885.53 m
Length of the central span (from one pylon to another) - 1104 m
Under-bridge clearance (free space under the bridge) - 70 m
Pylon height - 324 m
The longest shroud is 579.83 m

Construction around the world

The cable-stayed system was designed as part of the joint work of many of the best engineers in Russia and abroad. For example, the French company Freyssinet has developed a system of cables, similar, as Rossiyskaya Gazeta accurately noted, to the strings of a giant harp - a harp for the ocean winds.

For the first time in the world, a cable-stayed bridge was built under conditions of such temperature changes, strong winds and a humid climate. As a result, thanks to special steel, the cables can withstand temperatures ranging from -40 to +40, and their service life is up to 100 years! The aerodynamic section of the span makes the bridge resistant even to the squally winds for which Vladivostok is so famous.

First steps

The bridge was built simultaneously from two parts of land - from the Russian Island and the mainland. April 12, 2012 happened historical event- joining of panels in the center of the bridge. On July 2, construction equipment drove across the bridge for the first time, then cyclists tested it, and on August 1, 2012, automobile traffic was officially opened.

A month later, the bridge officially received a name: according to the results of a popular vote, it was christened the Russian Bridge.

For a year now, the bridge has been connecting Russky with the mainland. The trickle of curious motorists coming to look at the changed landscapes of Russky Island gradually turned into a powerful stream. Among those traveling to and from Russky Island there are now FEFU students and employees, residents of Russky Island and vacationers. And although the latter often leave mountains of garbage behind them, and the former, until recently, had problems with public transport, the population of Vladivostok and its environs agree on one thing: the bridge is a blessing, and now no one understands how we used to live without it.

Well, the bridge to Russky Island has finally opened. The bridge to which the right to be called the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world was transferred. And of course, what makes me especially proud is that it was built not just somewhere, in China or the USA, but in Russia, more precisely in Vladivostok.


Right away, in order to avoid “misunderstandings”, I would like to remind you that the length of the cable-stayed and suspension bridges is calculated by the central span, and not by the overall length of the bridge. That is why the bridge to Russky Island has every right to be called the longest. The distance between its pylons is 1104 meters. The previous record, 1088 meters, belonged to Chinese bridge Sutun. But in terms of overall length, the bridge to Russky Island is inferior to many cable-stayed bridges; its indicators here are 3100 meters. For example, the same Sutun has a total length of more than 8 kilometers. But this is no longer so important.

After the development of the investment project "Development of Russian Island", according to which production complexes in the field of bio- and information technologies, research institutes, a university, a large medical center, residential and hotel complexes, an international business center and much more to attract large businesses and tourists here. The need to build a bridge connecting the island with Vladivostok became obvious. And in 2008, construction began. At first, there were many doubts whether it was even possible to build a bridge across the Eastern Bosphorus Strait? After all weather there are very unfavorable conditions here (in winter the ice thickness in the strait can reach 70 cm), in addition, the future bridge must withstand heavy winds and be earthquake-resistant, but in the end design solutions were found that helped make the project a reality.





The digital indicators of this superstructure are as follows. The depth of the piles under the supports is up to 77 meters. The height of the pylons is 324 meters (the same as the Eiffel Tower).


The height of the roadway above sea level is 70 meters.

Bridge width - 29.5 meters (4 lanes for road transport, two in each direction, plus pedestrian paths). The total weight of the bridge is 23 thousand tons.

The technical opening of the structure took place on July 2, 2012. On July 28, a bicycle race was organized across the bridge. And on August 1, 2012, traffic was opened for all transport.

Perhaps the only drawback of the bridge to Russky Island is its high cost. According to various estimates, its construction cost from 1 to 1.5 billion dollars. However, given the weather conditions in which it was built and will operate, this amount is quite understandable.

A few more photos of the bridge to Russky Island:







A major scandal that risks escalating into corruption is breaking out in Vladivostok. There, because of the rain, a bridge literally crumbled, which is a section of the road for the construction of which 29 billion budget rubles were allocated. According to local residents, the rain was quite ordinary - “medium intensity”, which means the bridge collapsed due to a construction defect. The reasons for such a rapid destruction of a large infrastructure facility built for the APEC summit have yet to be established, but now we can assume that it is most likely due to the carelessness of the general contractor, corruption and disregard of officials, as was the case with the notorious “dancing bridge” In Volgograd.

"Just a light rain"


As it turned out, the soil under the newly built section of the highway had started to creep. During the day, the soil under the road continued to shift downward, and this may continue in the event of rain expected in Vladivostok this coming weekend.

As a result, several tons of soil buried the garages with cars and, presumably, one boat inside: the road runs almost along the shore of Patroclus Bay.

“When I was standing there, I actually heard the wire breaking and the stones crunching,” a local resident writes about the situation on an online forum. - Creepy and scary. They forbade the children to go to the sea.”

“But it was just light rain of medium intensity for two days,” another eyewitness reports.

Local deputies drew attention to the situation with the highway. “I was at the site of the landslide,” City Duma deputy Alexander Yurtaev told PrimaMedia. - My point of view: the builders tried to make the wall more vertical because of the garages below. The route itself is straight, there are almost no storms on it, and it turns out that the entire flow of water flows directly towards the gabion mesh. And it was still light rain. What if an ordinary coastal typhoon charges? The asphalt had to be laid with a slight slope in the opposite direction so that the water would drain away. And the slope itself should have been planted with grass and turf to support the stone laying. This road actually cut off our access to the beach. But the road could have been built differently, through Sakhalinskaya, and then the recreation area of ​​the microdistrict would have been preserved. Unfortunately, the situation has become emergency. Now, in order to remove the consequences, we will have to remove more than 40 meters of asphalt, since there is emptiness underneath, and do everything all over again.”

Local residents sent a collective letter to the governor of the region, Vladimir Miklushevsky, since, in their opinion, the construction of the road practically destroyed the beach, which turned into a rocky desert.

The retaining wall was installed directly on the garage


Representatives of the general contractor who built this section of the road, CJSC Pacific Bridge Construction Company (TMK), stated that the eight-kilometer section of the route where the soil collapse occurred was supposed to be put into operation only on July 1, but the cars of citizens could move along it, since it “It was convenient for them, but everyone turned a blind eye to it.”

Currently, traffic along the unfinished section of the highway is blocked by piles of soil piled up after the incident. The asphalt is covered with large faults and cracks over several tens of meters. Use this part of the road local residents now they are afraid. At the same time, TMK press secretary Olga Zarubina assured the Gazeta.ru portal that the incident will not affect the timing of putting the route into operation.

As a local resident named Alexey told reporters, the landslide could have been caused by the fact that builders began installing gabions of a retaining wall directly on the roof of his garage. According to the man, he warned the foreman that the garages were 40 years old and might not hold up. However, the builders did not pay attention to his remark.

ZAO TMK stated that a special commission is investigating the causes of the landslide and they will be named later. It is clear that one of the main reasons for the incident was the rains that continued in Vladivostok since June 9.

“The soil in the first few months after the construction of the road is very unstable and is susceptible to crumbling when abundantly moistened,” Oleg Skvortsov, president of the association of road research organizations, commented on the situation. - When the soil is overgrown with grass and stabilized, it is difficult to move the soil mass. It is difficult to say why the accident occurred. Both the designers and the builders could have made a mistake, but here we need to deal with the situation on the spot.”

It is still unknown who will compensate for material damage to garage owners and whether they will compensate them at all. According to unofficial information, the garages were located on a slope under the road illegally, so local residents can only count on payments for cars buried underground.

The route Novy village - De Vries Peninsula - Sedanka - Patroclus Bay, 42 km long, should connect Vladivostok airport and the bridge to Russky Island. According to the builders, due to the fact that the road will be of “continuous movement”, that is, without traffic lights and ground pedestrian crossings, the travel time from the airport to the island, which always took at least an hour and a half, will be reduced to 20 minutes. The highway was planned to be put into operation in 2011, but the timing was revised. 29 billion rubles were allocated from the budget for the construction of the facility.

Everybody dance


Let us note that last year a scandal erupted around another bridge - in Volgograd. It took 13 years to build, the facility cost the budget 12.3 billion rubles. The bridge was opened to traffic in October 2009, and in May the following year, strong vibrations began to be observed on the bridge, due to which local residents dubbed it “dancing”. Traffic in the area was blocked.

During the investigation into the reasons for the fluctuations, it turned out that the cause of what happened was corruption: violations of 152 million rubles were identified, and the project turned out to be 1.5 billion rubles more expensive than its true cost. Thus, during the control event it was established that the administration Volgograd region a significant increase in costs for the resettlement of citizens from the construction zone was allowed. The share of such expenses in the estimated cost of construction increased from 2.9% to 9.1% and exceeded 1.1 billion rubles.

Last November, it was reported that experts had strengthened the “dancing bridge” with counterweights to dampen vibrations. The cost of the work amounted to 112 million rubles.

“We can now guarantee the safety of traffic on the bridge. We are now confident that the bridge will never “dance” again, as it did on May 20 last year,” the then governor of the region, Anatoly Brovko, told reporters.

Based on materials: