OREANDA-NEWS. Mostrotrest is to sign a contract to reconstruct the bridge across the river Don that links to Voroshilovsky Prospekt in Rostov-on-Don. The completion of six-lane bridge is planned for the end of 2017. The value of the contract will total 5.9 billion roubles (including VAT). The client for the bridge is the city’s Transport Infrastructure Construction Directorate.

Mostotrest won the contract in an open competition, with a bid of 5.918 billion roubles (including VAT). The construction work will be done by a Mostotrest’s branch Mostootryad-10, based in Rostov-on-Don.

The project will be completed in three stages: construction of a new three-lane bridge upstream of and very close to the existing bridge; demolition of the existing two-lane bridge, and construction of a new one in its place. Once the first stage is completed, the new upper bridge will take the existing traffic, and Mostotrest specialists will start to demolish the old Voroshilov Bridge, which will be replaced by a new bridge, also with three lanes, in the third stage.

The total length of the new six-lane bridge will be 1,821.24 metres, and the bridge will be 623 metres long. The design speed for traffic on the bridge is 80 kph. The reconstruction work will include building an underground pedestrian crossing and above-ground pedestrian crossings fitted with rumble strips. In view of the particular characteristics of the locality, the project also includes construction of retaining walls and anti-landslip structures. The whole length of the bridge will be fitted with cleaning structures for collecting and cleaning water run-off. Two lift halls will be built on the left and right banks of the Don, each with two lifts, to give people access to the bridge.

The architectural design for the new bridge’s span will repeat the existing design. The project also includes lighting to enhance the architectural effect. When the project is completed the bridge will be equipped with navigation signals.

While the construction work is in progress, each stage of the work will be environmentally monitored in order to ensure safe use of the natural environment and to prevent negative effects on the environment.

The reconstruction of the bridge will be undertaken in a developed urban area, without traffic in the construction zone being halted. In order to increase the speed of construction, the project will use the method of moving the combined length of the bridge span into the correct place by lifting it with floating jacks. It is also planned to use crushing and screening plant to convert the demolished reinforced concrete bridge structures into ballast for re-use.

When the new bridge comes into use it will increase more than in two times the capacity of the road linking the right-bank area of the city with the left-bank area, where a stadium is to be built for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The new bridge will also improve communications between Rostov-on-Don and its satellite towns Bataysk and Azov and other residential areas in Rostov Region.

This project is being implemented as part of the preparations for holding 2018 FIFA World Cup matches in Rostov-on-Don, on the basis of the city’s long-term strategic programme ‘Operation and development of the Rostov-on-Don road and street network in the period 2011-2015’ and of ‘South Russia’s Roads’, the programme to modernise and develop the road network of the Southern Federal District until 2025.

The old two-lane Voroshilov Bridge was built in 1961-1965 by Mostootryad-10. Bridge-building Team No. 10 of the USSR Main Administration for Bridge Building handed over the bridge for full-time operation in 1965.