The builders of the Big Smolensky Bridge have moved to the final stage of commissioning. Engineers conducted the first technological opening of the crossing over the Neva River. In the current navigation season, the facility will for the first time ensure the passage of ships in normal mode, like other drawbridges of the Northern capital.
To prepare the structure for lifting the "wings," installers installed 8 hydraulic cylinders, assembled a counterweight system, and installed a two-winged draw span together with the main metal structures.
According to regulations, the lifting and lowering of the span structures will take place in stages. The initial angle is 5 degrees, gradually increasing to the design values. After reaching an angle of 72 degrees, the structure will be fixed in the open position for up to 30 days. The pause is necessary for the safe passage of large vessels along the fairway and the dismantling of temporary protective structures that protected the supports during the ice drift. In the future, the opening and closing of the bridge will be carried out according to the approved city schedule.
In the closed state, the height of the central span above the water will be 15 meters, and the width of the navigable channel will be 60 meters. These parameters make the Big Smolensky Bridge a record holder among St. Petersburg's two-winged crossings in terms of the dimensions of the navigable opening. Thanks to this, small vessels will be able to pass under the bridge during navigation without opening it.
The new crossing, 494 meters long, connects the banks of the Neva River between the Volodarsky Bridge and the Alexander Nevsky Bridge. The facility is being built as part of a highway that will relieve the historical center of transit traffic. The bridge will be connected to the road network through three interchanges.
