Interview on the Construction of the Tuchkovo Overpass

The grand construction project in Tuchkovo gains momentum. The project of the Governor of Moscow Region Andrei Vorobyov “Free Passage” is implemented there. The bridge is already visible, almost all buildings in the area of work are demolished. But locals question when the overpass will be commissioned, how it will look like and why the whole Eastern Neighborhood is trenched. Correspondent of the newspaper “Red Flag” (distributed in the Ruza District, Moscow Region) addressed to the Project Manager of the general contractor Stroytransgaz Alexander Vladimirovich ZHDANOV to clarify the issue:

– How many people and companies are engaged in construction of the overpass, and what is the cost of the project execution?

– The budget of the project is more than three billion roubles. Currently, together with the general contractor – Stroytransgaz – four specialized subcontractors work on the site. In the near future we plan to start work with three more sub-contractors. As of today more than 160 workers – about 120 during the day and 40 at night – and more than 25 engineers are engaged in the construction of the overpass.

– Does the night works bother the residents of the nearby houses?

– Construction works are carried out round the clock seven days a week, but at night we perform pre-construction activities, reinforcement binding and other low-noise operations. Spotlight lighting on portable racks is installed at the construction site. Temporary floodlights are directed onto the work area and do not bother Tuchkovo residents.

– It is said that access to the overpass will not be toll free, and those who wants to save money will continue to wait at the crossing.
– There will be no surface road between VMR and 101st Neighbourhood, and there will be no crossing in Tuchkovo, since one of the goals of the construction of the overpass is to reduce the number of crossings where vehicles idle and serve as a potential source of traffic accidents on the railway. Access to the overpass will be toll free. A three-meter sidewalk and two stair approaches on both sides of the railway are provided for pedestrians on one of its sides.

– How will the overpass look like after completion of the works?

– The road will be expanded and the pavement will be reconstructed on Lebedenko Street in the section from house № 2, VMR to Stroitelnaya Street. Parallel passages on both sides of the bridge will be constructed in the Eastern Neighborhood. We will carry out reconstruction of Graviynaya Street in the 101st Neighbourhood. The existing road will remain local, and on the other side of the bridge, in five or six meters from housing estates, there will be a new passage from Potapova Street to Silikatnaya Street. It will be possible to go to Vostochnaya Street or enter the overpass from that place. Reconstruction will not affect Betonny and Silikatny Neighbourhoods.

We will install noise barriers in the 101st Neighbourhood and at the turn to Lebedenko Street. The total length is about one kilometer. Also with regard to the high-rise buildings of VMR, which are situated near the overpass, we will replace the existing windows for free with the improved noise reducing plastic double glazed windows.

– The works are already being performed close to the railway. It's a very important and dangerous site. How the bridge will be built?

– At the end of October and in November we will install the beams at this site. We work together with our colleagues from Russian Railways, who have already relocated most of the utility lines which interfered in the works. Reconstruction of the overhead catenary suspensions for electric trains will be carried out before the start of the construction of bridge structures over the railway.

– What part of the work has already been performed, and when will you complete the construction of the overpass?

– Currently we have performed about 20 percent of the works. Works are carried out on almost all land plots which are free from real estate items. The Main Directorate of Road Facilities of Moscow Region is responsible for withdrawal issues. Technical Inventory Bureau of the Moscow Region performs independent assessment. After assessment we hold negotiations with the owners. In accordance with the legislation, in the absence of the agreement on the amount of compensation, the withdrawal is carried out on the basis of a court decision. So far there have been no cases on the site which would require court proceedings. We are near to the completion of emptying the areas with residential houses on Graviynaya Street. We negotiate and try to reach an agreement with the owners of private enterprises in VMR and on Vostochnaya Street through which the roads will be routed. We plan to finish the works in Q3 of the next year.

– Why is the land trenched on both sides of the house No 12 in the Eastern District, as well as around other houses?

– Any construction project is started with pre-construction activities, and this facility is not an exception. In April we started laying utility lines in VMR and 101st Neighbourhood. We relocate heating system of the house No 12. As a result the pipes will be installed in the new channel, and U-shaped arch over the road will be dismantled. Inside the quarters we lay new communication and power supply cables to replace the ones that are in the area of the roads and bridge construction. Temporary lighting pillars were installed along the highway. For that reason there is an impression that the whole neighbourhood is trenched.