TEXT 18. A UNIQUE BRIDGE TO SPAN THE VOLGA
The construction of a unique, 12-km bridge across the Volga River, has been started in Ulyanovsk, its water flyover section will be nearly 6 km long. The bridge will represent a double-deck structure with a four-lane motorway on top and a high-speed tramway below, with a view on converting it into a Metro line in the future. The deep-water (35 metres) portion of the bridge is to be suspended by cables on two giant towers.
It is not only the construction that makes the bridge a unique structure. Soviet bridge builders have never before encountered such difficult conditions. Strong winds blowing from the Kuibyshev water reservoir in the north cause big waves—nearly as big as sea waves — at the construction site. In winter, the ice here is too unreliable to hold the construction equipment, while it would take ages to build the bridge on a season basis. Besides, the right-bank section of the bridge is to be 150 m higher than the river level. Landslides are frequent there, too, and nearly a quarter of the construction budget is to be spent on bank reinforcement.
The bridge is planned to be put into operation in 1995.
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