Presidential bridge in Ulyanovsk: photo, description

Most of the large cities, comfortably overgrown in river valleys, are located on both sides of the riverbed. There were times when, changing from one bank to another, people used boats, built land crossings and built ferries. Today, bridges are a means of communication of the 2 banks, a means to reduce the path of movement and to be able to build a variety of cables along a shorter path, etc. These fantastic structures are a real miracle of architecture, not only strong and reliable, but also beautiful.

The construction of the bridge described in this article was at one time the most important step in the development of the Russian transport network and the city of Ulyanovsk.

Before we proceed to the question of how the Presidential Bridge was built, let's talk a little about another such remarkable construction of Ulyanovsk.

The Imperial Bridge

This bridge is unofficially called the bridge of Freedom, Simbirsk and Ulyanovsk (and now the Old). It was built during the reign of Nicholas II (in 1913-1916). Then the city was called Simbirsk.

At first the bridge was railroad, and then automobile routes were attached to it. The Imperial Bridge referred to beam structures. In those days the bridge was considered to be the greatest in Europe. In its erection involved more than 3,5 thousand specialists.

The bridge across the Volga was reconstructed several times. The last repair was in 2003-2010. Citizens remember that from the left bank to get to the city center through the bridge it was possible only according to the schedule.

On the island under the bridge you can see a huge cross. He was put in memory of the tragedy that occurred in this place. In 1983, on June 5, a tragic accident happened - the crash of the cruise ship "Alexander Suvorov" as a result of passing under a non-navigable span of the bridge. The official number of victims was 176 people.

After the construction of another (Presidential) bridge in Ulyanovsk, the old Imperial became less busy.

The history of the construction of a new bridge

Many residents of the city of Ulyanovsk still remember this long process of erecting a unique bridge, including the period when its erection was suspended in the days of the USSR. The construction of the longest bridge in Russia was conducted for 23 years. Total costs for 2008 prices amounted to 38.4 billion rubles.

It began its design in 1980, and already in 1983 was laid the 1st stone. According to the plans, it should have been completely built in 10 years. But construction work began only in 1986, and in 1995 they were suspended due to lack of funding from the state. They resumed construction in 1998.

As a result, after long years of work, all design solutions were implemented. The presidential bridge in Ulyanovsk was completed. The official inauguration ceremony of its first stage took place in 2009 in November. D. Medvedev took part in it. The second stage was opened in November 2011.

Bridge Parameters

The length of the Presidential Bridge is 5.8 km, and the total length of the 1st launch complex is almost 13 kilometers.

The object consists of 6 overpasses. The length of one bridge span is 220 meters (each weighing more than 4 thousand tons). The bridge is structurally designed for carrying capacity, which is one day up to 40 thousand cars.

The Presidential bridge in the upper tier has a width of 25 meters (dimensions - 21 meters with bike paths of 100 centimeters and sidewalks of 1.5 m). In two directions there are 2 lanes, there is also a central dividing line (this corresponds to the route of the 1st category).

The lower storey (the second stage of construction) has a width of 13 meters. It is planned to move the high-speed tram along the 2-m lines.

Features

The new Ulyanovsk bridge across the Volga was built using the unique technology of latticed trusses (spans), the parameters of which are presented above. This innovation allowed to reduce the cost of construction and installation works by more than 1 billion rubles and significantly reduce the time (more than 1 year).

The Presidential Bridge is capable of withstanding strong hurricane winds and strongest earthquakes. It is the second longest bridge in Europe. In the first place while Lisbon Bridge Vasco da Gama, reaching along with the access roads of 17.2 kilometers in length.

To enter the bridge in Ulyanovsk was built a special denouement for the convenience of citizens, which saves considerable time.

View of the Ulyanovsk bridges

The presidential bridge in Ulyanovsk can be seen from a high stela located on the square of the 30th anniversary of Victory. From this place, where there is eternal fire (the exit from the Imperial Bridge to the central part of the city), one can see an excellent panorama of the Volga River along with the bridges.

From here you can see an impressive view of the reservoir.

Conclusion

The Presidential Bridge is a significant section of the transport corridor that connects part of Russia (European) with the Far East, Siberia and the Urals. It became part of the most important Ulyanovsk transport hub, and most importantly, laid the foundation for a new route for cars in the internationally important international corridor Transsib. The construction of the bridge helped to improve the transport system of the city and a huge area.

Perhaps, the bridge was so named due to the fact that the head of the country, Dmitry Medvedev, visited his solemn opening at that time, who together with the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev took part in this important and honorable ceremony.