New Bridge over the Chusovaya River in Perm Territory

Official opening of the Chusovaya River bridge

Official launch of traffic over the new bridge across the Chusovaya River in Perm Territory took place on December 22. Stroytransgaz Group acts as the general contractor of the construction project.

The new bridge over the Chusovaya River in Perm Territory provides two lanes for all types of vehicles: public, cargo and private. Design speed is 100 km/h and approaching speed is 120 km/h. This facility is a “twin” of the existing old bridge that was built here 26 years ago. They are arranged in parallel lines at 18 m (between bridge substructures) distance from each other. The new bridge is 1.5 km long. Nearly a thousand of workers and more than 150 machines were involved in the large-scale construction project.

The traffic was symbolically launched by Dmitry Makhonin, the Governor of Perm Territory, by videoconference The Head of Prikamye noted that the opening of the new bridge is a historic event for both the region and the entire country. It will double the capacity of this section of the most important road in Perm Territory, as well as improve transport accessibility of Prikamye northern areas. “The Chusovaya River Bridge is part of the main route connecting Moscow, Kazan, Khanty-Mansiysk, Surgut and Tomsk. Its commissioning, for sure, will bring new opportunities for developing regional economy, attracting investments and boosting cargo traffic. Moreover, the new bridge is a decent gift to the community on New Year's Eve.” — emphasised Dmitry Makhonin.

Roman Novikov, Head of the Federal Road Agency (Rosavtodor), highlighted that the Chusovaya River Bridge is one of the most unique and largest road structures in the country. It is also one of five road projects being implemented in Russia under public-private partnerships. In addition, its construction was funded by Safe Quality Roads national project.
According to Maxim Smagin, Director of the Directorate for Perm Territory Projects Implementation, the structure has 14 pylons. More than 28,000 m3 of concrete and 2,000 tons of rebars were used for construction. Also, over 8,000 tons of metal were used to build special support structures and units. Pylon bodies are made of high-strength concrete, which ensures reliable operation of the structure, as well as resistance to the aggressive effects of external environmental factors. When erecting the spans from the left bank to the right bank, 336 m of span structures were slid and 1,155 m of span structures were slid from the opposite bank. “It is a great achievement to build a unique bridge in a short time. It was possible thanks to the highest level of expertise, coordinated teamwork and support of Perm Territory authorities,” — said Maxim Smagin.

Stroytransgaz Group laid 14,000 m2 of two-layer asphalt pavement of 11 cm thickness in total. These innovative mixes have enhanced resistance to weather and climatic conditions, as well as to traffic-caused loads. They are highly resistant to wear, cracking and rutting and have noise-dampening effect. The mix properties allowed the works to be carried out in late autumn at sub-zero temperatures.

Besides the new bridge, the project also included construction of three interchanges. Two of them have already been opened — at the intersection with Tsimlyanska and Korsunska streets. Another interchange, near Palniki railway station, is launched today. Meanwhile, reconstruction of interchanges and accesses to the new bridge is ongoing. These are scheduled for completion by July 2023.

Andrey Alyakrinsky, Deputy Chairman of Perm Territory Government, expressed his gratitude to Stroytransgaz Group's workers: “You made a commitment to build the bridge by the end of the year and you have fulfilled that promise, making it a real New Year's present for the people of Perm Territory.”

Sergey Veshnyakov, Minister of Transport of Perm Territory, awards employees of Stroytransgaz Group

The official opening ceremony ended with awarding of the bridge builders. Sergey Veshnyakov, Minister of Transport of Perm Territory, awarded the builders with Certificates of Merit to honour their high level of expertise and outstanding service. Six employees of Stroytransgaz Group received the award. Those are: Maxim Smagin, Director of the Directorate for Perm Territory Projects Implementation;  Nina Polyudova, Chief Expert of Perm Territory Projects; Konstantin Oberderfer, Motorway Expert; Timofei Gusev, Chief Engineer; Denis Stulin, Chief Expert; Nikolay Buzmakov, Utilities Expert.

First cars crossing the new bridge over the Chusovaya River

Once the new bridge is opened, the existing bridge will be closed for renovation that is scheduled till March 2024. After that, four lanes will be available for traffic.
Let us remind that the new Chusovskaya River bridge with relief access routes is under construction according to concession agreement. The total length of the bridge (including access routes) will be 9.2 km.