The renovated bridge over the Drisa River has been opened in Verkhnedvinsk
The opening of the long-awaited facility has become a real gift for local residents. The old bridge was closed to traffic due to its dilapidated condition and was included in the state investment program. In pre-war times, there was a wooden overpass at this location, which had to be repaired every year – it was washed away by the current in the spring. Later, a concrete bridge appeared here, reportedly made from captured German structures. More than 600 years ago, the city of Drissa, known as Verkhnedvinsk since 1962, was founded at the site of this crossing, where the waters of the Western Dvina and Drissa rivers meet. The "from the Varangians to the Greeks" route passed along the Western Dvina, which allowed for the development of trade in the region.
Assessing the scale of the current work, builders are more inclined to call it the construction of a new bridge rather than the reconstruction of the old one. The existing structures were completely dismantled, and new reinforced concrete ones were erected. The process began in January 2022, with funding provided by the Eurasian Development Bank. After the imposition of sanctions, financing was suspended but resumed in August of the same year, with other reliable sources found. Despite challenges, including weather conditions, the builders managed to complete the work on schedule. OAO "Mostostroy" acted as the general contractor, and the project was developed by the state enterprise "Belgiprodor". The new bridge is larger than the old one. Its length exceeds 150 meters, and its width has increased from 7 meters to 11 meters. One-and-a-half-meter sidewalks have been created on both sides.
"We used to cross this bridge by bus and bicycle almost every day when the old one was still open. It was problematic to get around then, we had to detour about 10 kilometers, but the transport links were well organized. True, it wasn't as comfortable and we had to spend more time on the road, we got used to the changes for a long time. We waited a long time for the opening, constantly asking when it would happen," said residents of the village of Borovka, Verkhnedvinsk district, Galina Koroleva and Larisa Lavrukevich. Both pensioners came to the opening of the facility by bicycle and noted that now such physical activity will be more frequent for them.
"The opening of the bridge will greatly ease our lives: we can now get directly to the city center, it's much easier and more convenient for us, for which we are very grateful to everyone involved. Now it's a modern structure, which cannot be compared to the old one. The previous one was already unusable, it was sometimes scary to ride on it," said Zoya Korbut, a resident of the suburbs of Verkhnedvinsk.
"My parents live in the village and commute to Verkhnedvinsk for work. They always took the shorter route – across this bridge. It's good that it has become more convenient. While the repairs were underway, our bus route was rerouted, which meant I had to wake up about half an hour earlier for school. Now I can go back to my usual schedule," added Yevgenia Lestina, a student at Verkhnedvinsk Secondary School No. 2 named after Hero of the Soviet Union N.V. Trojan.
The bridge opening ceremony was also attended by distinguished guests. Among them were Chairman of the House of Representatives Vladimir Andreichenko, Minister of Transport and Communications Alexei Lyanovich, Presidential Aide - Inspector for the Vitebsk Region Igor Brylo, and Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Alexander Subbotin. Also participating in this significant event were heads of bridge construction organizations from the region and the country, as well as residents of Verkhnedvinsk and the district. Workers and specialists involved in the construction of the facility were presented with well-deserved awards.
Automobile traffic across the bridge was opened by a convoy of agricultural machinery, trucks, special vehicles, buses, and more. Later, guests and residents of the district had the opportunity to try out the pedestrian route.
