Traffic Launched on Tupolev Street in Zhukovsky

Today, on December 23, Dmitry Lebedev, General Director of Stroytransgaz Group, and Andrei Vorobyov, the Governor of Moscow Region, gave start to the traffic on Tupolev Street in Zhukovsky. The tunnel under Gromov Square will help to decongest the street and enhance transport links to several urban districts in the region.

The section under reconstruction lies between intersection of Tupolev Street and the Tupolevskoye highway, and the bridge across the Khripan River. The main reconstruction component is a 712 m long tunnel including 280 m of enclosed section. It formed part of a two-level interchange that triples the road capacity and diverts transit traffic away from the urban streets.

Formerly Tupolev Street had 2 lanes, and now, due to the tunnel, the drivers will enjoy the opportunity to ride along 4 lanes of the transit section under Gromov Square. In addition, there are alternate routes above the tunnel, adding 2 more lanes on each side. Thus, thanks to the reconstruction, the section has been expanded from 2 to 8 lanes.

“It is a key road that connects the two large towns of Zhukovsky and Ramenskoye. The distance between them seems to be small, but the journey was always unpredictable. It was all turning into a challenging journey, whether you were driving to work, on personal business, to visit friends or to come back. Today, due to the road expansion, it is possible to cover this distance without any hindrance. I'd like to thank both the builders and the residents who joined us in the opening ceremony — they surely remember what Tupolev Street was like, and today they can see the modern highway.” — said Andrei Vorobyov, the Governor of Moscow Region.

Pyotr Ponomarev, Director of Infrastructure Construction Projects of Stroytransgaz Group

Tunnels are the most complicated type of road construction projects. The tunnel under Tupolev Street was constructed by cut-and-cover method in a pit with a wall of bored piles of 1 m in diameter. The maximum depth of the pit for the tunnel erection was 12 m. While excavating the pit, the builders stripped away asphalt pavement and also rerouted all utilities within the work area. Five water lines, three sewer lines, gas lines, heating and communication systems, cable lines and outdoor lighting lines were rearranged as a result.

The activities involved import substitution of equipment and materials.  For instance, for the noise barriers the domestic equivalents were used instead of Hilti chemical anchors, and Russian pumps were used for the stormwater drainage system.

“Most of our materials have domestic origin. All materials have successfully passed state expertise.” — said Pyotr Ponomarev, Director of Infrastructure Construction Projects of Stroytransgaz Group. — ”The tunnel is equipped with automated de-icing system. It will operate depending on weather conditions and will spray reagents automatically.”

Traffic jams on Tupolev Street reached 7-9 points at morning and evening rush hours, and vehicles were stuck along this section for 1.5-2 hours. After the renovation was completed, the traffic became light-free, the travel time was reduced to 10 minutes, and it takes 15-20 minutes to reach Novoryazanskoye Highway. Estimated traffic volume is about 50,000 vehicles per day.

Tunnel under Gromov Square

There are 15 bus routes along Tupolev Street connecting Zhukovsky with Moscow city, Ramensky District and Lyubertsy. Daily commuting by public transport will now be noticeably faster. Ultimately, over 400,000 passengers and drivers will experience the change.

Furthermore, additional exits to Gromov Flight Research Institute (MAKS Airshow site) were provided.

Next year, construction of pedestrian overpasses will be continued to ensure safe and comfortable passage for residents; the overpasses will be accessible for people with limited mobility. The reconstruction project includes 5 overpasses in total. Overpasses 1, 2 and 3 are completed and are currently awaiting for commissioning permits. Finishing of overpasses 4 and 5 is in progress.

Also, the existing bus stops at Gromov Square will be altered next year. Upon completion of main works, the surrounding area will be subjected to landscaping and site improvement, in particular, conifers and shrubs will be planted.

About 250 workers and 60 units of machinery were engaged in work daily to deliver the facility on time.