Those who have been to Vladivostok know how sometimes it is not easy to get from point A to point B. To look on the map is very close, but in real life it's not so simple: you can get into the house on the next street only after making a decent circle. Go down the stairs, climb the hill, use the pedestrian bridge to cross the street ...
Vladivostok is the edge of the earth in the full sense. The broken edge of the coast, narrow isthmuses, large and small islands - all this is a city whose history was destined to own the east.
On the edge of the empire
In those distant days, today's huge city resembled a small village on the banks of the Golden Horn Bay with dusty sidewalks, broken roads and lush bushes of lilacs in the front gardens.
Moorings, warehouses and border outposts were at a decent distance from each other. If a ship went into the bay, it was a holiday for all local residents. Sailors as honored guests were taken along the coast. Sometimes it stretched for months, because a lot of time was spent on the road.
But remembering the precepts of Great Peter I, no one even thought to build a bridge over the Golden Horn. Vladivostok, like St. Petersburg, was a border city. And bridges, according to military tactics, weaken the defense.
Three "necklaces" for the city
Time passed, the city grew, people and transport became crowded and uncomfortable. Distances remained the same, and the time to overcome them increased with each passing year.
At the end of the 19th century there was an urgent need to build a bridge. Vladivostok at that time was of great interest to Russia. Through it passed the trade routes to the east and west. Warships were based here.
The authorities understood that by connecting the two shores, it would be possible to expedite the delivery of goods to the mainland and port. The Russo-Japanese wars, the revolution in the country and the subsequent intervention of the Far East prevented the implementation of the projects.
The next time, the construction of bridges in the city was remembered only by the sixtieth year of the 20th century. After traveling across America, Khrushchev, seeing Vladivostok, got the idea to have his own San Francisco - with hovering bridges, overpasses, wide promenades and skyscrapers overhanging them. Unfortunately, he did not manage to carry out his plans, and the city remained the same.
Finally, by the opening of the APEC summit, it was decided to give the city three precious “necklaces” - amazing bridges.
Golden bridge
If you go up to the funicular area, then the landmark (where the bridge is located with V-shaped supports) is the Golden Horn. Vladivostok excelled by adorning the Ship Embankment with an original design.
The first “necklace” enters the bay in a smooth arc and extends to Cape Churkin. Finally, Svetlanskaya Street was able to relieve itself of the burden of traffic jams. Roads in the historical part of Vladivostok are not wide, and increasing lanes is impossible due to the landscape.
The Golden Bridge was conceived as an urgent need, and became the pride and hallmark of the city. There is not a single tourist who has not photographed against the background of supports in the form of a victory sign.
The construction of such a complex structure can be considered a breakthrough in engineering and architectural achievements.
Construction stages
In now distant 2008, a tender was announced for the construction of a bridge in Vladivostok. In June, the results of the competition were summed up. The Pacific Bridge Construction Company was chosen as the general contractor for the construction. Subcontracts were received by such well-known enterprises as Primavtodor, Dalmostostroy and others.
Just a month later, they started the first stage - laying a tunnel, which will simplify the entrance to the future bridge. The underground structure, 6 meters high and 250 long, has a dividing wall of concrete in the middle. There are 2 lanes on each side.
The next two years were required for the construction of support pylons. Work was carried out on both sides of the bay towards each other. It took almost a year to stretch the cables and install spans.
At the end of April 2012, the last seam was brewed. The end of construction was honored by the most eminent residents of the city.
The bridge blocks were assembled from domestic steel at a ship repair plant in Nakhodka. When choosing a manufacturer, the guys stayed at a company from France. Products with a life of 100 years are the best guarantee of quality. For stretching it took 42 kilometers of cables.
Since 2010, project development and subsequent installation of bridge illumination have been carried out. It was decided to install everyday and festive illuminations.
What do you think resembles a bridge illuminated at night? Golden Horn! Vladivostok with its relief and elevation again presented a gift to his fans.
In June and July 2012, the structures were painted and asphalt laid. Everything was ready for the grand opening of the long-awaited facility.
On August 11, uncountable crowds of townspeople and guests filled the entire length of the bridge, and its considerable length was quite a bit short of one and a half kilometers and stopped at around 1388 meters.
The favorite of Primorye Ilya Lagutenko on the day of the holiday shot a clip for a new song. The bridge passed its first two-day strength test. A month after the opening, he received the official name - Golden.
Distinctive features
Already at the beginning of construction it was clear that the bridge would be unique and in some respects it would have no equal in the global bridge building.
Distinctive features of the overpass:
- Nine spans of the bridge are supported by a cable-stayed fan.
- The central segment has a length of 737 meters.
- The distance from the water to the lower base of the structure reaches 65 meters.
- Pylons soared to a height of more than 200 meters.
- Six lanes of automobile transport and a pedestrian zone.
- The design is able to withstand a hurricane wind force of 47 m / s.
- The Golden Bridge is not afraid of an earthquake of 8 points.
- Funds for construction were allocated by the local and federal budgets. The final cost differs from the declared by almost 900 million rubles.
The builders spent 4 years and presented the city with the long-awaited bridge. Vladivostok acquired another jewel.
Curiosities and incidents during construction
The implementation of such ambitious projects is not without incidents and curiosities.
- The first happened at the very beginning, during the construction of the pit under the tunnel. A secret object was discovered during the Second World War.
- Residents of the city, getting acquainted with the construction budget, suggested that the city authorities would take money to use the bridge in order to somehow compensate for the overrun.
- 2 microdistricts with residential buildings disappeared from the map of Vladivostok. This place was required for the construction of the flyover in front of the bridge.
- For the work attracted 2 thousand workers. Less than half went to the share of Russians.
- Two fires overshadowed the construction. No one was hurt, but the latter was so strong that it took almost 3 hours to extinguish it. The culprits were heat guns, which are used in the winter to maintain the desired temperature when working with metal.
- The last curiosity is more like an ironic joke. The bridge was painted gray and called Golden.
Bridge to Russian island
The inhabitants of the city could not even dream of such happiness. For decades, Russky Island remained a military site, closed to civilians.
Only in the mid-nineties of the twentieth century did endless sandy beaches become publicly accessible. Those wishing to get a secluded holiday charter boats and set off for Russian. In time it took from 40 minutes to 2 hours. It all depended on the presence of waves and wind in the bay.
As if frozen in anticipation of the completion of construction Vladivostok. The bridge to Russky Island has the same cable-stayed construction as its older brother, Golden. They were built almost simultaneously at the very summit in 2012, whose headquarters was located in the island part of the city.
The overpass through the Eastern Bosphorus has a smaller width, only 4 lanes. But in everything else, he broke all records. Each next sentence can begin with the word "most", and end with "in the world." And these are not bare words.
- The central span (a total of 11) along the length has no analogues - 1104 meters.
- Pylons are not inferior to the famous skyscrapers - 324 meters.
- Under the bridge, vehicles with a height of up to 70 meters can pass.
- Some guys reach a length of about 600 meters.
- The length of the bridge (Vladivostok - Russky Island) was 1886 meters.
For the implementation of the project, the most accurate calculation of all sections of the structure was required. This is due to the local climate. Sudden changes in temperature, frequent winds and storms, high waves and deep ice can affect the operation of the facility.
The final installation work was carried out at night, since due to the heating of the metal under the sun, it is impossible to make an accurate fit of the structures.
The bridge was opened noisily and solemnly. It was a gift in honor of the city’s birthday.
Low water bridge
The construction of the low-water was carried out without much noise. Despite this, its significance for the city is invaluable. To unload the streets of the city is the main task assigned to the bridge. Vladivostok got the opportunity to access federal highways bypassing the central streets.
When you go across the bridge, only in the middle you begin to understand that there is water around. Instead of pigeons and ravens, seagulls are planning, and the water on the windshield is not rain, but the spray of uncoiled waves.
Low-water has 4 lanes of single-level traffic. There is no pedestrian zone, instead of it, narrow corridors for staff are left. You can accelerate on the bridge to a speed of 100 km / h. For lighting at night and during fogs, a new generation of LED lights is used.
The length of the Vladivostok-Russky Island bridge is impressive, but even it seems short in comparison with the low-water one. Given the interchanges, it turned out more than 5 kilometers.
Skeptics said that the bridge across the Amur Bay would harm climatic conditions. In particular, the low water will interfere with the movement of ice in the bay. Like it or not, time will decide. Technology does not stand still, and if a problem arises, there will be a solution to it.
Future plans
Three bridges came in handy. Their construction inspired the regional authorities to new ideas. How many bridges are planned to be built in Vladivostok? Here are some of the projects discussed:
- Cape Tokarevsky - Helena.
- The village of Canal - Helena.
- Shkot Peninsula - Cape Churkin.
- Russian island - Popova island.
- Egersheld Peninsula - Russian Island.
Even if part of the program for the construction of new bridges is implemented, Nikita Sergeyevich’s old dream will come true, and Vladivostok will not only look like San Francisco, but will be better, cleaner and more convenient. Residents of the Primorsky Territory sincerely believe that their capital is worthy of all that will make it one of the first cities on Earth.