“The project is being implemented ahead of schedule.” How is the construction of the Polotsk overpass in Vitebsk progressing?
To close the last span, eighteen 20-meter beams need to be laid with an accuracy of up to 12 mm. They are delivered to Vitebsk by rail from Fanipol (reinforced concrete bridge structures plant), where they are manufactured, including by special order. The construction workers are making good progress – the outlines of the access roads to the overpass are changing before our eyes, and the last supporting pillars of the "butterfly" interchanges are being concreted (a total of 45 will be erected).
On this large-scale site covering 20 hectares, over 200 construction workers work 12 hours a day, with about 30 units of equipment involved.
With the start of landscaping and finishing work on the overpass at a stable positive temperature, the number of workers will increase to 300. Behind are some of the most labor-intensive stages of construction – the relocation of numerous utilities, the installation of main intermediate supports capable of withstanding enormous dynamic loads, including in the inter-track space – with almost no interruptions in train traffic, and the vertical and horizontal planning of tens of thousands of cubic meters of soil.
– The estimated readiness of the facility is 60%, – clarified the project manager, head of the technical supervision department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Capital Construction Department, Mikhail Kazurov.
However, there is still a lot of work to be done: the bridge deck, sidewalks, and asphalt laying are yet to be completed. Almost 2 kilometers of road barriers, 12 thousand sq. m. of facing tiles, about a hundred lighting poles, and illumination are required. Six pedestrian staircases for access to the overpass are also needed. Laying a special sound-insulating bedding for the tram tracks is a separate task. Welders and reinforcement workers are "tying" it, fastening the wire mesh, practically by hand. The overpass roadbed is also equipped with a drainage system for storm runoff. Two treatment facilities are currently being built where it will be filtered. In parallel with us, builders from TTU are working – they will extend the tram tracks by 30 meters along Titov Street.
It seems that the weather itself is helping the builders. An extremely warm winter has significantly accelerated the laying of utility networks, the construction of retaining walls, embankments, and landscaping work – the unfrozen soil is easily handled by machinery. By the way, it is not easy to get a job at construction site No. 1 – only experienced bridge builders from Vitebsk, Mogilev, and Grodno work here.
– People are attracted by good earnings, stable financing, and efficient labor organization, – noted **Vyacheslav Kibitlevsky, labor protection engineer at the Vitebsk branch of MSU No. 5 of OAO "Mostostroy"**. – I have been here since the very beginning of construction, at the site almost every day. The work is very large-scale, and therefore great attention is paid to labor safety. Our builders have had no injuries, and this is gratifying.
The "Polotsk" overpass is being built for the long term, so much in the project is designed for the future. For example, the construction of a traction substation for powering trams is currently being completed; it is designed in such a way that additional equipment can be installed there to launch trolleybuses, for instance, along Leningradskaya Street.
Even the sidewalks on the overpass are designed to accommodate additional power and communication cables underneath. And the overpass itself is one and a half meters higher than the old one – electric trains will be able to pass under it.
– The project is being implemented ahead of schedule, – emphasized Mikhail Kazurov. – Financing is stable, and the builders are in high spirits. The main thing is that the weather doesn't let us down, and there are no prolonged heavy rains or frosts. At this pace, we can say that the overpass will be commissioned in 6-7 months.