Vitebsk has begun the next stage of the Polotsk overpass reconstruction
The next stage of constructing a new bridge has begun at construction site No. 1 in the regional center. Specialists have started dismantling old concrete structures. Workers have removed the central part of the bridge span, and work is currently underway on one of the side sections. Two cranes with a lifting capacity of 125 tons are involved in this process.
"The work is carried out during 'windows' when there is no railway traffic. To speed up the dismantling of the old overpass, we used wire sawing to divide the span into several beams. Now these concrete structures are being lifted by cranes and lowered down, where they are stacked in a neighboring area. In the future, the beams will be crushed, but they will not be used in the construction of the bridge," said Dmitry Samanchuk, foreman of the branch of MSU No. 5 of OJSC "Mostostroy".
Specialists are performing dismantling work with surgical precision to avoid damaging the railway tracks. Builders intend to completely dismantle the bridge by the beginning of next week. In addition to dismantling the overpass, structures of the grain processing plant and some houses are being demolished nearby. In the second half of this year, specialists expect to begin constructing bridge supports from the Titova Street side.
The construction of the Polotsk overpass began in 2010, and after some time, work was stopped due to a lack of funding. In December 2018, specialists resumed work. It is planned that the length of the future bridge with multi-level interchanges will be over 400 m, and the width will be 45 m. The overpass will have two lanes in each direction and tram tracks. An underpass will also appear here in the future. The bridge is being built higher than the existing one, which will allow for the electrification of this section of the railway in the future. A total of about Br100 million is required for the work. Br40 million will be spent this year, and the rest in 2020. All work is planned to be completed by 2021.
The Polotsk overpass is the central transit artery connecting Kosmonavtov, Titova, and Leningradskaya streets. They provide both internal and external connections for the Vitebsk road network in the direction of Polotsk, Gorodok, and Saint Petersburg. The bridge had been in a state of disrepair for over 10 years. At the request of the prosecutor's office, an inspection was carried out, and specialists determined that further operation of the bridge was impossible. Traffic for vehicles and pedestrians was closed on November 15, 2018.