More than 400 workers and 70 units of equipment are engaged daily in the construction of the Polotsk overpass in Vitebsk
If the warm winter favored the work, then the cold and rainy May significantly hinders it, especially when it comes to waterproofing the bridge deck and asphalting the roadway. Work is in full swing in all corners of the overpass: under the bridge, workers of SMP No. 169 are busy painting, mechanical column No. 43 and OJSC "Stroytrust No. 9" are involved in laying paving slabs, DSU No. 3 is responsible for asphalting, Belsvyazstroy is reconstructing communication networks, Tiraspol PMK is installing lighting poles, of which there are about 200 at the site, and SMEP of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee is equipping traffic lights (one of them, at the intersection of Titov and Leonov streets, has already been installed). All work is carried out under the management of the general contractor OJSC Mostostroy. By the way, the lighting masts are also designed for laying trolleybus lines. Workers of GorElektroTransport are welding and laying noiseless tram tracks. Such a system is unique for Vitebsk.
-- RT-62 and LK-1 rails are laid in a concrete groove, sleepers are not used, the noise will be "dampened" by an 8-millimeter rubber gasket. We use thermite welding of rails, which allows for a strong connection by melting special powder, resulting in a strong seam, without joints, resistant to breaking and tearing. The total length of the tram line along the overpass in a double-track direction is over 1800 meters, -- noted the director of the branch "City Electric Transport of Vitebsk" Sergey Medvedev.
Delta blocks are waiting for installation nearby, which will prevent cars from entering tram tracks and sidewalks. "Zelenkhozovtsy" are completing the sowing of lawn grass, shrubs and trees have already been planted, and workers of Vitebsk DSK are engaged in the arrangement of the storm water purification system. Workers work on a shift basis from 7:00 to 19:00-20:00 without days off, trying to take maximum advantage of sunny days.
Gas pipelines and electrical networks have already been laid, and the storm sewer system is being completed: rainwater from the bridge will be discharged through drainage pipes. The temporary bypass at the intersection of Titov and Leonov streets has been replaced with a permanent one, which has allowed the second entrance to the Polotsk market to be reopened.
On almost the entire overpass and parking lots designed for 300 parking spaces, the lower layers of asphalt have been laid underneath, and the upper layers will be ready just before the opening: they are being protected from the impact of heavy special equipment.
According to the project manager, the head of the technical supervision department of the state enterprise "Capital Construction Department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee" Mikhail Kazurov, the construction financing is stable, and the workers are making every effort to ensure that the artery connecting Kosmonavtov Street with Leningradskaya and Titov streets starts operating in Vitebsk as soon as possible.
The builders are not naming the exact date for the commissioning of the facility, which is long-awaited by all Vitebsk residents, but it is obvious that the opening is not far off.