What Gagarin Street in Vitebsk was and what it will become
"Don't suggest Markovshchina and Gagarin Street..."
Many would have liked to move away from here due to this disarray, the lack of shops and other amenities within walking distance. Yet, Gagarin Street is also an industrial worker! Thousands of workers (three shifts!) hurried daily to the workshops of the "Znamya Industrializatsii" (Banner of Industrialization) sewing factory; a similarly huge collective rushed to the neighboring "Krasny Oktyabr" (Red October) shoe factory; many residents of Gagarin Street worked at the Vitebsk watch parts factory; at the end of the street, another industrial enterprise operates – the "Keramika" (Ceramics) plant. By the way, the work collectives at that time conscientiously took responsibility for their territories, thanks to which many green spaces appeared on Gagarin Street in past years.
And it was simple on paper
To be honest, not all residents believed that changes would happen so quickly, but exactly one week later, on July 21, the street was awakened by the noise of numerous machines.
Along the New Street – On the Transport of the Future
"The reconstruction of Gagarin Street will allow us to widen the roadway, which will make it possible to allocate a special lane for modern public transport," said Sergey Viktorovich.
There are many arguments in favor of modern transport compared to trams: trolleybuses and electric buses are much more maneuverable and reliable, and their route network is very easy to change or extend if necessary. Modern trolleybuses have a floor-leveling function, which is very important for passengers with children, people with disabilities, and the elderly, as this is social transport. In addition, new electric transport is produced by domestic enterprises "Belkommunmash" and "MAZ," while for trams, even spare parts have to be purchased outside of Belarus.
"Considering the development of new technologies, science, and engineering in the field of batteries, we can open new routes – without being tied to overhead contact lines, and even more so without rails!" says the head of the city's electric transport. "Citizens are already accustomed to such trolleybus routes as No. 12 and No. 13, and literally on July 21, route No. 14 appeared on Gagarin Street (instead of tram route No. 5). In September, we plan to open a new trolleybus route No. 15. The future belongs to contactless trolleybuses and electric buses. We expect the delivery of 10 new units for the Bilevo district and Gagarin Street.
All Issues Are Interconnected
— Today, great attention is paid by the state to young families in need of improved housing conditions, and the main part of the housing program implementation is concentrated in the Bilevo microdistrict, particularly in Block No. 9, — Sergey Nikolaevich began the conversation. — Attention is also paid to social facilities and road infrastructure. In July, the acceptance certificate for a school with 1020 places and a swimming pool was signed. The documentation for the construction of a preschool institution with a primary school block on Bogatyrev Street, designed for 850 places, has practically passed the expertise. The transport interchange was a major problem, as the road network of Moskovsky Prospekt could no longer cope with the existing logistics. Therefore, residents are eagerly awaiting the opening of the passage from Stroiteley Avenue to Korotkevich Street. In addition, the City Executive Committee has set a task for all economic entities located on Stroiteley Avenue to improve the adjacent territories. And order is already being established. With the closure of Gagarin Street, it is envisaged that one of the trolleybus routes will connect this street with the Bilevo district. I think we will relieve the strain on this street, the number of tram routes will fully compensate for the movement of buses and contactless trolleybuses, and electric buses.
The experience of constructing important facilities in the city, as Sergey Soglasayev noted, is very extensive. The Polotsk overpass alone showed how local authorities, builders, utility workers, communication specialists, and transport workers can promptly solve all issues together in one package. Moreover, while constructing one facility, many other issues are resolved incidentally — improvement of courtyards and road access to them, parking lots, playgrounds, and so on.
— Absolutely, and on Gagarin Street, the issue will be resolved not only with the transport interchange and road surface, but the entire appearance of this district will also change. Today we are working on comprehensively solving all tasks. They are complicated by the fact that the deadlines are tight — to complete the work on Gagarin Street within a year, and during this time, issues of engineering network operation must be considered and resolved, for example, the condition of the storm drainage system, to prevent flooding of the street, — explains Sergey Nikolaevich. — In general, the work is already underway at a high pace and on the go. It can be said that a small feat is being accomplished! But this is where the real activity of the local authorities is manifested, because nothing causes as much irritation among ordinary residents as empty promises. The residents of Gagarin Street have waited too long for an update, so they should endure some more inconvenience. The issue of financing the reconstruction has been resolved, and this was confirmed by the Head of State.
And at the same time, a lot of work is being done on the improvement of facilities for the upcoming autumn "Dazhynki" in Vitebsk: the plans include replacing curbs, flower beds, partially Frunze Avenue, Lenin Street, Freedom Square have been done, work is underway on the reconstruction of the square on Kirova Street (customer — city UKS, general contractor — "PlissaStroy"). As Sergey Soglasayev emphasized, this work will be systematic. And it can be said that the city lives not in anticipation of changes, but in the real format of their accomplishment.
Indeed, there was such a page in the history of Gagarin Street: advertisements "Don't suggest Markovshchina and Gagarin Street..." for many years adorned newspapers and flyers, and long-time residents and patriots continued to bother the local authorities with phone calls to "hotlines" and "direct lines," hoping to find out what future awaited their native street. There were times when endless excavations caused inconvenience to residents, and people were outraged by the "lack of sidewalks," which had become a chronic ailment. The poor road conditions were no better, and accidents often occurred on the narrow roadway.
Many would have liked to move away from here due to this disarray, the lack of shops and other amenities within walking distance. Yet, Gagarin Street is also an industrial worker! Thousands of workers (three shifts!) hurried daily to the workshops of the "Znamya Industrializatsii" (Banner of Industrialization) sewing factory; a similarly huge collective rushed to the neighboring "Krasny Oktyabr" (Red October) shoe factory; many residents of Gagarin Street worked at the Vitebsk watch parts factory; at the end of the street, another industrial enterprise operates – the "Keramika" (Ceramics) plant. By the way, the work collectives at that time conscientiously took responsibility for their territories, thanks to which many green spaces appeared on Gagarin Street in past years.
And it was simple on paper
In 2005, following the petition of the chairman of the regional executive committee Vladimir Andreichenko and the chairman of the city executive committee Petr Drozdov to President Alexander Lukashenko, the reconstruction of Gagarin Street was undertaken by his order. It was then that the idea of launching a trolleybus service along it first emerged, with poles even being installed as confirmation. Unfortunately, only two kilometers were completed at that time. Over the next 15 years, no further funds could be found for Gagarin Street; however, grand plans continued to be implemented in the city, landmark structures appeared, objects undoubtedly necessary for the citizens, and entire residential microdistricts grew.
And who knows how much longer the fate of this district would have remained unresolved if not for the President's visit to Vitebsk on July 15 for the opening of the "Polotsk" overpass. While opening the facility, Alexander Lukashenko noted that since its reconstruction cost significantly less than the planned amount, the remaining funds could be directed towards the further development of Vitebsk's road transport infrastructure. "And Gagarin Street needs to be put in order, so we are certainly leaving you the saved money," the Head of State promised. He supported the project proposed by the chairman of the regional executive committee Nikolai Sherstnev for the reconstruction of Gagarin Street. Its length is 5 kilometers, and the remaining work requires approximately 39 million rubles.
And who knows how much longer the fate of this district would have remained unresolved if not for the President's visit to Vitebsk on July 15 for the opening of the "Polotsk" overpass. While opening the facility, Alexander Lukashenko noted that since its reconstruction cost significantly less than the planned amount, the remaining funds could be directed towards the further development of Vitebsk's road transport infrastructure. "And Gagarin Street needs to be put in order, so we are certainly leaving you the saved money," the Head of State promised. He supported the project proposed by the chairman of the regional executive committee Nikolai Sherstnev for the reconstruction of Gagarin Street. Its length is 5 kilometers, and the remaining work requires approximately 39 million rubles.
To be honest, not all residents believed that changes would happen so quickly, but exactly one week later, on July 21, the street was awakened by the noise of numerous machines.
Along the New Street – On the Transport of the Future
Some, strangely enough, found the dismantling of the tram line on Gagarin Street to be a controversial issue. Some suggest that it is difficult to replace the tram, while others do not believe that the street will be renovated and become modern and comfortable so quickly – in just a year. As a resident of Gagarin Street, I decided to seek answers to this question from competent sources.
We discuss the future of electric transport in this district, as well as in the city as a whole, and the advantages of the innovations that await us, with Sergey Medvedev, Director of the Vitebsk City Electric Transport branch of Vitebskoblavtotrans OJSC.
We discuss the future of electric transport in this district, as well as in the city as a whole, and the advantages of the innovations that await us, with Sergey Medvedev, Director of the Vitebsk City Electric Transport branch of Vitebskoblavtotrans OJSC.
"The reconstruction of Gagarin Street will allow us to widen the roadway, which will make it possible to allocate a special lane for modern public transport," said Sergey Viktorovich.
There are many arguments in favor of modern transport compared to trams: trolleybuses and electric buses are much more maneuverable and reliable, and their route network is very easy to change or extend if necessary. Modern trolleybuses have a floor-leveling function, which is very important for passengers with children, people with disabilities, and the elderly, as this is social transport. In addition, new electric transport is produced by domestic enterprises "Belkommunmash" and "MAZ," while for trams, even spare parts have to be purchased outside of Belarus.
"Considering the development of new technologies, science, and engineering in the field of batteries, we can open new routes – without being tied to overhead contact lines, and even more so without rails!" says the head of the city's electric transport. "Citizens are already accustomed to such trolleybus routes as No. 12 and No. 13, and literally on July 21, route No. 14 appeared on Gagarin Street (instead of tram route No. 5). In September, we plan to open a new trolleybus route No. 15. The future belongs to contactless trolleybuses and electric buses. We expect the delivery of 10 new units for the Bilevo district and Gagarin Street.
All Issues Are Interconnected
In the life of the city, all issues are so closely intertwined that the discussion about the future of Gagarin Street in the office of the Deputy Chairman of the City Executive Committee, Sergey Soglasayev, began with an even broader perspective, and not only regarding transport development.
— Today, great attention is paid by the state to young families in need of improved housing conditions, and the main part of the housing program implementation is concentrated in the Bilevo microdistrict, particularly in Block No. 9, — Sergey Nikolaevich began the conversation. — Attention is also paid to social facilities and road infrastructure. In July, the acceptance certificate for a school with 1020 places and a swimming pool was signed. The documentation for the construction of a preschool institution with a primary school block on Bogatyrev Street, designed for 850 places, has practically passed the expertise. The transport interchange was a major problem, as the road network of Moskovsky Prospekt could no longer cope with the existing logistics. Therefore, residents are eagerly awaiting the opening of the passage from Stroiteley Avenue to Korotkevich Street. In addition, the City Executive Committee has set a task for all economic entities located on Stroiteley Avenue to improve the adjacent territories. And order is already being established. With the closure of Gagarin Street, it is envisaged that one of the trolleybus routes will connect this street with the Bilevo district. I think we will relieve the strain on this street, the number of tram routes will fully compensate for the movement of buses and contactless trolleybuses, and electric buses.
The experience of constructing important facilities in the city, as Sergey Soglasayev noted, is very extensive. The Polotsk overpass alone showed how local authorities, builders, utility workers, communication specialists, and transport workers can promptly solve all issues together in one package. Moreover, while constructing one facility, many other issues are resolved incidentally — improvement of courtyards and road access to them, parking lots, playgrounds, and so on.
— Absolutely, and on Gagarin Street, the issue will be resolved not only with the transport interchange and road surface, but the entire appearance of this district will also change. Today we are working on comprehensively solving all tasks. They are complicated by the fact that the deadlines are tight — to complete the work on Gagarin Street within a year, and during this time, issues of engineering network operation must be considered and resolved, for example, the condition of the storm drainage system, to prevent flooding of the street, — explains Sergey Nikolaevich. — In general, the work is already underway at a high pace and on the go. It can be said that a small feat is being accomplished! But this is where the real activity of the local authorities is manifested, because nothing causes as much irritation among ordinary residents as empty promises. The residents of Gagarin Street have waited too long for an update, so they should endure some more inconvenience. The issue of financing the reconstruction has been resolved, and this was confirmed by the Head of State.
And at the same time, a lot of work is being done on the improvement of facilities for the upcoming autumn "Dazhynki" in Vitebsk: the plans include replacing curbs, flower beds, partially Frunze Avenue, Lenin Street, Freedom Square have been done, work is underway on the reconstruction of the square on Kirova Street (customer — city UKS, general contractor — "PlissaStroy"). As Sergey Soglasayev emphasized, this work will be systematic. And it can be said that the city lives not in anticipation of changes, but in the real format of their accomplishment.