One of the key and most technologically compelling construction stages of the central structure along the Northern Bypass of Tver down the M-11 “Neva” Highway — the bridge across the Volga River — has been finished. The builders have completed the sliding of the bridge span across the river bed. The multi-ton structure was moved to a distance of 136 meters and installed on the extreme pier.
This is already the fourth stage in the sliding of the superstructure of the bridge across the Volga River. The works were performed using four powerful hydraulic jacks. Further, the builders will have to perform the fifth, final stage of the superstructure sliding, and in April the bridge will finally span the Volga banks. It is scheduled to open traffic across the new structure, as well as along the entire second stage of the Tver Bypass, in July this year.
The bridge will lie on 10 tiers; the length of the structure will be 738 meters, with the width of a little more than 24 meters. The total weight of the steel superstructure is 6.2 thousand tons. The height of the structure's span over the water reaches 17 meters that will enable sizable cruise ships to pass under the bridge during the navigation season.
Also, at the second stage of the Tver Bypass, two transport interchanges are being constructed — with the existing M-11 Highway at the 147 km post and with the Tver-Kimry regional road at the 159 km post. All in all, the builders will erect 11 road structures at this section. At 9 of them, the works on the installation of span beams and construction of the bridge deck have already been completed.
Along with the new roadway section construction, the roadside infrastructure is being developed. Thus, the Tver Bypass will boast two modern multifunctional road service zones. Apart from refueling their cars, their guests will be able to recreate after the trip, have a meal or visit a supermarket, limber up at the gym area and take their little ones to the playground.
The opening of the M-11 "Neva" Highway new section will provide an impetus to the development of the Tver Region and beyond. The Northern Bypass of Tver will play a pivotal part in launching a high-speed road link between Saint Petersburg and Kazan — more than 1,500 kilometers of motorways without traffic lights or at-grade intersections with other roads. And with the extension of the M-12 to Yekaterinburg, about 2,500 km will be connected by seamless high-speed communication by the end of this year.
The traffic along the first stage of the Northern Bypass of Tver spanning from the junction of the M-11 and the P-132 (Bezhetskoye Highway) to the 208 km post on the M-11 was launched at the end of the past year. Now motorists traveling from St. Petersburg will be able to get to Bezhetsk and Yaroslavl bypassing Tver.
