Annunciation bridge: the precious necklace of the Neva. Annunciation bridge: the precious necklace of the Neva Palace and Annunciation bridges

Construction of an arched cast-iron bridge. Lieutenant Schmidt, b. Nicholas Bridge, designed by the Russian engineer of communications S. Kerbedz, was started in December 1842 and completed in November 1850, i.e. 8 years after the start of construction. According to the executive estimate, the cost of the bridge amounted to 4.381 thousand rubles. Before the construction of this bridge on the river. Neva there were only one floating bridges on the boats.<…> Being in operation for 86 years, the bridge named after Lieutenant Schmidt has long failed to meet the growing requirements of shipping and urban traffic, both in the worn state of individual elements and in its limited size. Even in pre-revolutionary times, two projects for the reconstruction of the bridge were drawn up at the Petersburg District of Communications: in 1906 by Professor Krivoshein (the author of the Okhtensky bridge across the Neva) and in 1909 by engineers Vitol and Glushkov. But the task of reorganization b. Nikolaevsky bridge, very technically complex, remained unfulfilled in pre-revolutionary times. In 1934, by a decree of the Council of Labor and Defense, an interdepartmental commission was formed on the issue of rebuilding the bridges of Leningrad in terms of removing obstacles to navigation. The commission, having considered the presented four options for the reconstruction of the bridge named after Lieutenant Schmidt, decided to rebuild the drawbridge according to the second of the presented options, according to which the new drawbridge is located near the right bank, but somewhat extends into the river. This option, by a resolution of the STO of September 5, 1935, was proposed to be developed into a technical project and submitted for approval to the People's Commissariat of Public Utilities. The drafting was entrusted to Prof. G. P. Perederiy, who, in the process of development, found that the implementation of the reconstruction of the bridge according to the planned version presents great difficulties, and even excludes guarantees for the success of the work itself. These circumstances led to the fact that, instead of the indicated option, prof. Perederiy proposed a new version of the reconstruction of the bridge, which was accepted for implementation. The solution suggested by Prof. Perederiy, was approved by the presidium of the Leningrad Soviet and submitted for government approval. On May 6, 1936, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR finally approved the option of reconstructing the bridge according to the scheme proposed by prof. Perederium. The total length of the rebuilt bridge along the top between the abutments is 331 m. The number of spans remains the same. The eighth right-bank span, in place of the old drawbridge span, is covered with reinforced concrete double-hinged arches with granite cladding. The roadbed of the bridge is laid on a reinforced concrete slab of asphalt concrete, the ends are laid in the tramway; sidewalks, each 3 m wide, are asphalted on consoles. At the same time, the useful width of the bridge between the sidewalk railings against the existing one increases. The location of the bridge Lieutenant Schmidt, as the first bridge at the entrance to the Neva in the old part of the city with complete architectural ensembles, surrounded by remarkable architectural monuments, required special attention when choosing individual structures and the silhouette of the bridge. If the old bridge with cast-iron arches, resting on granite abutments with pylons, represented a successful combination of the engineering part with the external architectural part, then the new project is inferior to those external qualities that were in the old bridge. From the old bridge, the grating (architect Stackenschneider) and lanterns (architect Peretyatkovich), which are examples of highly artistic cast iron, have been preserved. From the outside, in order to give more lightness to the lines of a somewhat heavy and dry outline of the beam, it is given some ornamentation along the consoles and lower chords. In this way, it is connected with the rich old grid. Control pavilions, in the form of low towers, are made in stone forms, which do not dominate the silhouette of the bridge and do not disturb the overall urban ensemble. In December 1936, work began on the reconstruction of the bridge named after Lieutenant Schmidt. The total cost of the reconstruction of the bridge will be 23 million rubles.

(Smirnov I.A. Reconstruction of the bridge named after Lieutenant Schmidt // Architecture of Leningrad. 1937. No. 3. P. 28-31).

Significant work was the reconstruction of the bridge named after Lieutenant Schmidt, connecting the central part of the city with Vasilyevsky Island. The old arched trusses erected by Kerbedz were replaced by new, beam, welded structures, with a solid wall (Fig. 395). The work on welding the bridge trusses was the largest achievement in this area at that time. To improve the conditions for navigation along the Neva, the iron trusses of the bridge were installed at a higher level, for which all the bridge supports had to be rebuilt. The drawbridge span, which used to be located near the shore, has now been moved to the middle of the river. The old patterned cast-iron grating has been preserved and serves as a link between the new bridge design and the embankment. The old cast-iron trusses of the bridge were in such good condition that they were used in Kalinin on the bridge across the river. Tvertsu. (Shchusev P.V. Bridges and their architecture. 1952. P. 301)

B lagoveshchensky bridge, aka Nevsky bridge, aka Nikolaevsky bridge, aka Lieutenant Schmidt bridge ...
This is one of the most famous bridges in St. Petersburg - once it was the longest (permanent) bridge in Europe, and possibly the world! This is the first permanent bridge across the Bolshaya Neva. It connects Vasilyevsky Island with the central part of the city (2nd Admiralteysky Island).

The bridge is located between Trezzini Square on University Embankment on the right bank and Labor Square on Promenade des Anglais. It is on this bridge that the Neva River ends and the Gulf of Finland begins - the Neva Bay.
Initially, it was to be called "Nevsky Bridge". But the bridge, opened on November 12, 1850, was named the Annunciation Bridge, which was located on the left bank of the Annunciation Square and the Annunciation Church (demolished in 1929).

Before the construction of a permanent bridge, since 1727, there was a floating St. Isaac's Bridge, which was located upstream in the alignment of modern Senate Square.

P.A. Aleksandrov. Isaac's bridge and the new church. Lithography. 1825 It seems that Aleksandrov Isaakiy painted from memory or his turrets were very sick and shrunken...

The project of a single-span, wooden bridge across the Neva was also proposed by the mechanic Kulibin. But alas, his idea and project was rejected.

Vasily Sadovnikov. View of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge from the embankment of Vasilyevsky Island.

The construction of the bridge began in 1843 under the leadership of S. V. Kerbedz. The American engineer J. Whistler took part in the construction of the bridge.

The number of employed workers approached one and a half thousand. The cast-iron structures of the bridge span were made at the Byrd plant. The assembly of arches was carried out on Gau's mobile wooden trusses. Petersburg newspaper "Northern Bee" wrote on September 16, 1844:

The construction of the bridge itself is a gigantic undertaking. It is unlikely that in modern times work was carried out according to such a huge plan, with such amazing accuracy, elegance, taste, and from such a precious material! Mountains of granite were brought here from Finland and, like delicate wax, obey the ingenious thought of man! Steam engines are driving piles in the midst of the fast and deep Neva, while solid stone foundations are being built under the water on the soil reinforced with piles.

The massive and at the same time openwork railing, designed by the architect A.P. Bryullov, depicts the symbols of the water element: the trident of Neptune, a shell and two hippocampi.

During the construction of the bridge, the idea arose to decorate its foundations with allegorical sculptures. In 1846, P. Klodt and N. Pimenov were instructed to draw up a project for decorating the bridge. Klodt proposed to put on the bridge the figure of a rider on a rearing horse, with a dagger defending himself from a tiger attacking him.

Sculptor N. S. Pimenov created 7 projects of allegorical sculptures within 4 years: “Triumph over the water”, “Triumph of Christianity or overthrow of idols”, “Alexander Nevsky sheaths his sword, thanking God for the victory”, “Allegory of Moscow, which has resisted three invasions: Tatars, Poles and French”, “Allegory of St. Petersburg as the receiver of European education in Russia” (of four figures), “Allegory of Kazan”, “Allegory of Siberia” (of four figures).

Judging by the inscriptions on the drawings, the statues, symbolizing the "Triumph over the Water", "St. Petersburg" and "Moscow", were supposed to be installed on the first bull on the right bank; other allegorical sculptural groups and statues were given places on the abutments. However, the Ministry of Finance did not allocate money for the production of these sculptures for staging on the bridge.

In the 70s of the XIX century, the sculptor Antokolsky proposed to install on the bridge 4 equestrian statues of figures of the Russian state: Vladimir Svyatoslavich - the enlightener, Yaroslav the Wise - the legislator, Ivan III - the collector and Peter I - the reformer of Russia. But this time, due to financial difficulties, the sculptures were not installed on the bridge.

The bridge was eight-span, the span near the right bank was drawable; for the first time in Russia, a rotary system of a draw span was used.

According to legend, Nicholas I promised Kerbedz to increase his rank for each span, which is why the engineer allegedly quickly revised the project in the direction of increasing the number of spans. Kerbedz indeed received the rank of general after the completion of the construction of the bridge, however, starting to build the bridge, the engineer had already received the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In the photo, Emperor Nicholas I and S. V. Kerbedz.
A chapel was erected on the bull at the draw span according to the project of A. I. Stackenschneider, consecrated on May 9 (21), 1854 in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Below in the photo of 1013, it is clearly visible.

The old bridge with a chapel and a turning mechanism can be seen in Eisenstein's film "October". In honor of the construction of the bridge, a silver commemorative medal was issued.

The obverse depicts Pallas Athena leading Hercules through the water stream with a club laid across him, the inscription "FAST" is written at the top, and the appearance of the bridge with a double-headed eagle flying above it is depicted on the reverse.

After the death of the emperor in 1855, the bridge became known as Nikolaevsky.

On November 17, 1918, the bridge was renamed the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, in memory of P.P. Schmidt, the leader of the uprising on the cruiser Ochakov in 1905.

In 1938, the bridge ceased to fulfill its function and could not pass ships, so it was dismantled and rebuilt on old supports, moving the draw part to the center of the bridge, due to changes in the conditions and requirements of navigation.
The reconstruction of the bridge was carried out according to the project of engineers G.P. Perederiy and V.I. Kryzhanovsky.

Ships at the bridge. Above the icebreaker "St. Petersburg", below the cruise liner.
Aurora also stood here during her memorable shot towards the Winter Palace.

The cast-iron arches of the old bridge were dismantled and sent to a warehouse. Their blocks were in excellent condition and it was decided to use these designs again. Throughout the war and the blockade, the blocks lay in Leningrad. And only after the war, the cast-iron arches of the Blagoveshchensky bridge were used to cover the spans of the new bridge across the Volga in Tver.

The bridge was built in 1953-1956. It was supposed to give him the name of M.I. Kalinin, but this was never put into practice, although cartouches with the monogram "MK" were even strengthened on the bulls.

The people nicknamed the bridge "New", so it is unofficially called so far.

In the history of bridge building, this is a unique case of "moving" a metal bridge from one river to another.

The lanterns and railings of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge also gained a second life. The lanterns were moved to the center of the Field of Mars, and the railing, designed by A.P. Bryullov, was installed on the reconstructed bridge.

The new steel bridge of Lieutenant Schmidt was built in 1936-1938 according to the project of engineer G.P. Perederiy with the participation of architect K.M. Dmitriev. Over time, the new bridge became cramped for traffic flows that went through it at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, and in 2005-2007 a new reconstruction of the bridge was carried out according to the project of the Stroyproekt Institute. After the reconstruction, the bridge received its former historical name - Blagoveshchensky and fragments of the railings created by A.P. Bryullov.

Thus, since the opening of the bridge in 1850, its length has increased from 300 m to 331 m, and its width from 24 m to 37 m.

In the 21st century, the bridge was again reconstructed. In 2006, reconstruction of the bridge began. Stroyproekt Institute was the general designer. For this, since September 2005, the construction of a temporary bridge has begun near the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, which was put into operation on May 9, 2006.

The people immediately dubbed him "the son of Lieutenant Schmidt."

During the reconstruction period, traffic and pedestrians were carried along this temporary bridge. It’s a pity that they didn’t leave him ... At the same time, traffic on the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was blocked, and the dismantling of the spans, and then the bridge supports, began.

The bridge was returned to the appearance of the arched Nikolaevsky (Blagoveshchensky) bridge, which was changed during the reconstruction of 1938. Tram traffic was filmed on the bridge, barriers were installed separating oncoming lanes.

Modern photos are mine, old (C) different places on the Internet. The basis of information (C) "Bridges of St. Petersburg", "Legends of St. Petersburg", Wikipedia and other Internet.

e. In 1850 he connected Vasilyevsky Island with the English Embankment. The bridge is considered the border between the Neva River and the beginning of the Gulf of Finland - the Neva Bay. The construction of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge became one of the three grandiose buildings of the first half of the 19th century, along with the railway from St. Petersburg to Moscow and St. Isaac's Cathedral.

History

In 1727, a pontoon bridge was thrown from the modern St. Isaac's Square to Vasilyevsky Island. The place of the crossing near the current Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was chosen by Menshikov, whose palace is located on the opposite bank. The bridge, called "Isaakievsky", existed until the construction of the bridge, after which it was moved to the site of the modern Palace Bridge.

Since the 1750s, the first designs for a permanent bridge across the Neva began to appear. However, for a long time it was too expensive and difficult engineering task. St. Petersburg managed with floating bridges.

It was decided to build the first permanent bridge in St. Petersburg between Vasilyevsky Island and the English Embankment. The construction was started in 1842, the emerging crossing was called the Nevsky Bridge. Her project was created by Stanislav Valerianovich Kerbedz. By that time, Kerbedz had already built several single-span cast-iron arch bridges, which is partly why he was entrusted with the construction of such a complex engineering structure at that time. It was he who designed and supervised the production of the famous pattern depicting the symbols of the water element: a trident, a shell and a hippocampus, which can still be seen in the bridge ensemble.

It was decided to leave the bridge supports without decor, since "their plausibility should really consist of unshakable stability alone." The architect Alexander Pavlovich Bryullov took part in the creation of the decoration of the bridge. He designed cast iron railings, considered one of the finest examples of artistic casting of the time. Gas lighting lanterns were made according to the project of engineer D. Tsvetkov. It was planned to decorate the bridge with allegorical sculptures based on the drawings of P. Klodt and N. S. Pimenov, but due to financial difficulties, this had to be abandoned.

The construction of the first permanent bridge across the Neva became a notable event in the life of St. Petersburg. Legends began to emerge around the construction. Allegedly, in order to force the builders to work in good faith, Emperor Nicholas I promised Kerbedz to reward him with an increase in rank for each span of the bridge built. They say that the crossing project was immediately redesigned in the direction of increasing the number of these spans. These events are actually fiction, as their chronology was as follows. On June 22, 1841, Kerbedz was promoted to major in the Corps of Railways. The bridge project was approved on October 15, 1842. On December 6, 1843, Kerbedz was promoted to lieutenant colonel. The newspaper "Northern Bee" of September 16 reports that the construction of the bridge supports has been completed. On April 11, 1850, Kerbedz was promoted to colonel. At this time, finishing work is underway on the bridge and the bridge is being prepared for commissioning. On November 21, Kerbedz is promoted to major general, on the same day the grand opening of the bridge takes place.

Eight spans were built near the bridge. The drawbridge, located on the right bank of the Neva, met all the requirements of navigation that existed at that time. With the help of a mechanical draw mechanism, the two wings of the bridge were moved apart in a horizontal plane.

During the construction of the Nevsky Bridge, the territory adjacent to it was rebuilt. Annunciation Square (now Labor Square) appeared on the Admiralty part with the Annunciation Church in the center. According to this church, then they began to call the bridge - Blagoveshchensky. When creating the square, a part of the Kryukov Canal was led into the pipe, so the bridge was built strictly along the axis of the canal. From the side of Vasilyevsky Island, the embankment was significantly expanded, a new square appeared here - Trezzini Square.

On November 21, 1850, the official opening of the bridge for carriages and pedestrians took place. The bridge became the longest in Europe (about 365 meters). It was named Annunciation, after the Annunciation Church of the Horse Guards Regiment, located on the square of the same name (now Truda). The newspaper "Northern Bee" published poems about the opening of the crossing:
Show off, Russia, holy fatherland!
You have surpassed all the antiquities of the age!
There were seven wonders, you created the eighth
And better, more beautiful than all! The hand was strong
Created a national monument for us,
That will was firm, like granite,
Ordered to create, build a similar bridge.

In 1854, according to the project of A. I. Stackenschneider, a small chapel was built on a bull near the drawbridge. She was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Blagoveshchensky Bridge quickly became a popular landmark of the city. One of his contemporaries wrote:
“My favorite walk now is the Blagoveshchensky Bridge, the precious necklace of the beautiful Neva, the height of art in every respect! The bridge is attractive in two ways. During the day, it seems transparent, as if filigree, light as waves, and at midnight illumination it is a huge mass, soldering two cities together ...

The Annunciation Bridge also gained particular popularity among passers-by due to the fact that it was the only metal bridge in the city, on which, as a result, smoking was allowed.

Once, while driving along the Annunciation Bridge, the emperor saw a wagon with a roughly knocked together unpainted coffin, accompanied by only two invalids in soldier's overcoats. the emperor stopped his carriage and sent an adjutant to find out who was being buried. It turned out that they were burying "a retired soldier who served God, the Tsar and the Fatherland" for more than a quarter of a century. Nicholas I left the carriage and went after the coffin. Soon a crowd of thousands followed him to the Smolensk cemetery.

In February 1855, in connection with the death of Emperor Nicholas I, the bridge was renamed Nikolaevsky.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the crossing had become inconvenient for new ships. The drawbridge turned out to be narrow for them, besides, it was equipped in the shallow side of the Neva. In 1901, several engineering solutions were proposed to move the drawbridge to the center of the channel, but none of them was implemented. The outbreak of the First World War intervened.

In 1917, the cruiser Aurora was stationed behind the Nikolaevsky Bridge near the Promenade des Anglais. It was from there that he fired the famous shot towards the Winter Palace. A monument located on the embankment reminds of this event. And in the lines of Mayakovsky you can read:
And from under Nikolaevsky
iron bridge,
like death
looks
unkind
Aurora
towers
steel.

In October 1918, the Nikolaevsky Bridge was renamed the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, in honor of Pyotr Petrovich Schmidt, who led the uprising on the cruiser Ochakov in 1905 and was executed for it.

By 1936, the adjustable mechanism began to jam frequently, which finally predetermined the fate of the crossing. In addition, the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal in the 1930s significantly increased the traffic load on the Neva. According to the project of Grigory Petrovich Perederiy, in 1936-1939 the bridge was almost completely rebuilt. Only wooden piles and cast railings by A.P. Bryullov remained from the old one. The piles were not changed due to financial savings, short construction times and because of their excellent condition despite their age. The presence of such structural details of the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge differs from all other St. Petersburg crossings across the Neva. During the reconstruction, a new method of joining steel structures was used - electric welding. This method has already been tested during the construction of the Volodarsky bridge, and has proven itself well here. During the repair of bridge supports, the Swedish method of underwater concreting was used, which was also new in domestic bridge building.

The length of the renovated Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was 331 meters. After the reconstruction, it became 4 meters wider, its width was 24 meters. On the site of a draw span near the right bank of the Neva, a span of stone was built. The chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, located on the old drawbridge, was not restored. By that time, it had become a warehouse for bridge cleaners' inventory. The cast-iron structures of the old bridge were transported to Tver, where in 1953-1956 they were used in the construction of a crossing over the Volga. Lanterns from the old bridge were installed around the Memorial to the Fighters of the Revolution on the Field of Mars. The traffic on the newly built crossing was opened on November 5, 1938. In 1976, the wooden flooring of the drawbridge was replaced with metal sheets.

Understudy of the Blagoveshchensky bridge, 2007

The question of a new reconstruction arose in 2004. After inspecting the structures, it was decided to keep the old foundations of the supports; for more than 150 years of service, they have been preserved in working order. The steel structures had to be completely replaced due to wear and tear. In 2005, the construction of an understudy bridge was started, located nearby, upstream of the Neva. The understudy bridge opened in May 2006.

The urban planning project for the reconstruction of the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was presented for public hearings at the end of April 2005. The Institute "Stroyproekt" acted as the general designer. In 2006, reconstruction of the bridge began. To do this, since September 2005, the construction of a temporary bridge began next to the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, which was put into operation on May 9, 2006. The people immediately dubbed him “the son of Lieutenant Schmidt”. During the reconstruction period, traffic and pedestrians were carried along this temporary bridge. At the same time, traffic on the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was blocked, and the dismantling of the spans, and then the bridge supports, began.

On August 15, 2007, the grand opening of the reconstructed crossing took place. She returned the former name - Blagoveshchensky bridge. To increase the throughput capacity, the Blagoveshchensky Bridge was expanded from 24 to 37 meters. Car traffic was opened the next day - 16 August. The metal structures of the understudy bridge were planned to be used during the repair of the Palace Bridge in 2010.

Bridge sample 2007

On August 15, 2007 at 10 o'clock in the morning a solemn opening ceremony of the reconstructed bridge took place - already under the name "Blagoveshchensky". The bridge was returned to the appearance of the arched Nikolaevsky (Blagoveshchensky) bridge, which was changed during the reconstruction of 1938. In this regard, it was decided to return the building to its historical name.

Reconstruction timeline

The builders' plans at the beginning of July were to put the bridge into permanent operation on August 11, 2007, by the builder's day (August 12).

In mid-July, finishing work was completed on the bridge and the builders began laying the top layer of asphalt.

Results of a two-year renovation

A compact hydraulic drive equipped with completely new hydraulic cylinders is installed on the drawbridge span. Thanks to savings in mass (part of the weight was transferred from drawbridge to permanent bridge spans), during the reconstruction of the bridge, there was no need to repair the drawbridge supports;
The bridge was returned to the appearance of the arched Nikolaevsky (Blagoveshchensky) bridge, which was changed during the reconstruction of 1938;
Tram traffic was filmed on the bridge, barriers were installed separating oncoming lanes;
At the crossing, automatic barriers are installed (similar to those used at railway crossings) that will limit the access of motorists to the bridge during the wiring period;
The bridge was equipped with an automated draw span system;
The understudy bridge was planned to be used during the reconstruction of the Palace Bridge, but soon [when?] the understudy bridge was dismantled, taken to a temporary storage site and subsequently used in the reconstruction of the Bolshoy Petrovsky Bridge.

Photo

The Blagoveshchensky Bridge is the first permanent bridge across the Neva in St. Petersburg. It opened after a major renovation two years ago in August.

Annunciation bridge connects Vasileostrovsky district with the central part of the city.

The bridge is located between Trezzini Square on University Embankment on the right bank and Labor Square on Promenade des Anglais.

The bridge is the border between the Neva and the beginning of the Gulf of Finland - the Neva Bay.

The cast-iron arch bridge was built in 1843-1850 according to the project of engineer S. V. Kerbedz, the metal structures were designed by the American engineer J. Whistler. The architect A.P. Bryullov took part in the design of the bridge. The massive and at the same time openwork railing, designed by the architect A.P. Bryullov, depicts the symbols of the water element: the trident of Neptune, a shell and two hippocampi. At that time it was the longest bridge in Europe (300 meters). The bridge was eight-span, the span near the right bank was drawable; for the first time in Russia, a rotary system of a draw span was used. According to legend, Nicholas I promised Kerbedz to increase his rank for each span, which is why the engineer allegedly quickly revised the project in the direction of increasing the number of spans. Kerbedz indeed received the rank of general after the completion of the construction of the bridge, however, starting to build the bridge, the engineer had already received the rank of lieutenant colonel. Opened on November 12, 1850, the bridge was named Blagoveshchensky from the Church of the Horse Guards Regiment and Blagoveshchenskaya Square, located on the left bank. In 1854, a chapel was erected on a bull near the drawbridge, according to the project of A.I. Stackenschneider, lit in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. After the death of the emperor in 1855, the bridge was renamed into Nikolaevsky.

In revolutionary days on the right bank near Blagoveshchensky bridge there was a cruiser "Aurora", from where he fired a historic shot. In memory of this event, a memorial sign was erected on the embankment; in 1918 the bridge was named after Lieutenant Schmidt.

The old bridge with a chapel and a turning mechanism can be seen in Eisenstein's film "October".

In the 1930s, the bridge, although it proved the quality factor of construction, required modernization in terms of both ground transport and large-capacity vessels that began to move along the White Sea-Baltic and Volga-Baltic waterways. In addition, the progressive deformation of the right-bank abutment caused the adjustable mechanisms to jam. The reconstruction of the bridge was carried out according to the project of architects K. M. Dmitriev, L. A. Noskov, engineers G. P. Perederia and V. I. Kryzhanovsky in 1936-1939. As a result of the reconstruction, the central span of the bridge became movable, the carriageway was widened, while the old supports were preserved. One of the aspects of the reconstruction was the use of bridge lanterns in creating a composition on the Champ de Mars, where they can be seen to this day.

The repair of the bridge began in October 2005, a little later than planned. The renovation of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge cost the city 3 billion 977 million rubles. The reconstruction of the bridge was carried out by Mostootryad No. 19 and was insured by the Gefest company in the amount of more than 2.47 billion rubles. The builders' plans at the beginning of July were to put the bridge into permanent operation on August 11, 2007, by the builder's day (August 12). In mid-July, finishing work was completed on the bridge and the builders began laying the top layer of asphalt.
On July 25, the bridge passed the strength test by freight transport. On August 15, 2007 at 10 o'clock in the morning a solemn opening ceremony of the reconstructed bridge took place - already under the name "Blagoveshchensky". The bridge was returned to the appearance of the arched Nikolaevsky (Blagoveshchensky) bridge, which was changed during the reconstruction of 1938. In this regard, it was decided to return the building to its historical name - Annunciation bridge.

St. Petersburg is known throughout the world as a city of embankments and drawbridges. Thousands of tourists come from all over the world to see how the bridges are raised during the summer. The spectacle is truly amazing. We managed to get into the very depths of Mostotrest and see how the Annunciation Bridge is being built from the inside.

A bit of history. Annunciation Bridge, aka Nikolaevsky Bridge, aka Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge. This is the first permanent bridge across the Bolshaya Neva, and once the longest permanent bridge in Europe. It connects Vasilyevsky Island with the central part of the city (2nd Admiralteysky Island). During its 150-year history, the bridge changed its name several times and was rebuilt twice.

Initially, it was called Blagoveshchensky, after the name of the church built nearby. After the death of Emperor Nicholas I in 1855, the bridge was renamed Nicholas. The next time the bridge changed its name on November 17, 1918 - it was renamed in honor of Lieutenant P.P. Schmidt, a participant in the revolution of 1905, who led the rebellion in Sevastopol on the cruiser "Ochakov". And finally, on August 14, 2007, the bridge was returned to its first name - Blagoveshchensky.

To begin with, many people do not even suspect that real life is in full swing inside the bridges. Every day, passing or passing through one of the bridges, how often do we pay attention to the booths that stand on them. That's exactly what it doesn't. I remember, I once thought that the traffic police or the police were there to regulate traffic and block the bridge. In fact, such booths are bridge control centers.

And MOSTOTREST is a separate organization that monitors the serviceability and safety of bridges. The management of the bridge drawing process takes place in this small turret. Thanks to the #bloggersbuildbridges project, I looked at all this from the inside.

Inside the bridges, the access control, and you can get there only by presenting a passport. Yes Yes. Exactly. Bridges in the city are always sensitive and strategic objects.

The room from which all processes of bridge laying and building are controlled. Of course, there are no levers and gears there. Instead, the control panel and monitors. After the reconstruction Blagoveshchensky is the most computerized bridge, on a par with the Palace. Sensors and cameras literally entangle him, allowing mechanics to centrally monitor everything that happens on the control panel.

After a short story about the bridge, we go down to see it before the wiring. Bottom view. Very unusual.

In a few minutes, huge hydraulic cylinders will lift the wings of the bridge, each weighing more than 2,000 tons.

The very heart of the bridge. Room with hydraulic equipment. photomanya I was surprised by my savvy in technical matters. I didn't even know half of it.

It is from here that huge hydraulic cylinders are controlled. All sensor data is displayed on the screens in the control room on the control panels.

All sensors are fully computerized, plus duplicated in an analog way.

Before starting the wiring, mechanics check the operability and readiness of all systems. A signal sounds and the bridge release buttons are pressed. Bridges are always drawn up on schedule, except for special cases. But they can come down a little earlier. It depends on ship navigation. "Go!"

The huge wing of the bridge moves up. Up close, the sight is simply mesmerizing.

From the bridge, small debris begins to fall down. And if it rains, then streams of water flow down from it like a waterfall.

Literally two minutes and the bridge is already divorced.

Looks amazing up close.

Again we climb into the very bowels of the bridge to look at the divorced bridge from the inside.

A very long staircase leads under the Annunciation Bridge itself.

It's a strange feeling when a wing of a bridge weighing more than two thousand tons of concrete and metal is above your head. Frightening and mesmerizing at the same time.

When you look at the reverse side of the bridge wing from the bottom up, the scope of human engineering is striking. And we also fly into space.

When the bridge is raised, the passage of ships under the bridges begins.

Here's a video to convey the atmosphere. Cargo tanker, thunderstorm, Blagoveshchensky bridge.

In the distance, the divorced Palace Bridge is visible.

We go upstairs to once again appreciate the view from above. The road is closed. Usually you look at the bridges from behind the fence. Now vice versa.

The massive wing of the bridge simply cuts the sky.

Final look.

After a few minutes, the buttons on the remote control will be pressed again, and the bridge will begin to converge. The barges have already passed.

The Blagoveshchensky Bridge is ready!

The huge wing of the bridge slowly begins to sink.

And in a couple of minutes the bridge is already brought down. Cars are moving. During the night, Blagoveshchensky will divorce and get together again.

People rush across the bridge. Life goes on.

Thanks to Mostotrest for the opportunity to look at the bridge from the inside. By the way, if you didn’t know, then on the site mostotrest-spb.ru they have the most up-to-date warning system for drawing and building bridges. A bridge is divorced or built - it is possible to watch in real time.

Thanks spbblog for another move, and thanks to TAXI 068 who took us home at night after the bridges were drawn.

P.S. Ah yes! But what about the bike, you say!

The guys were filming a video clip and wanted to capture a drone flying under the Blagoveshchensky Bridge. The weather was windy, and one of the gusts of wind threw the drone, it hit the wing of the bridge from below and got stuck somewhere in its depths. The guys, without hesitation, found a boat from somewhere, and decided to save the drone. Dear, sorry. We swam up to the bridge, found it with lanterns, and what do you think. Yeah. We climbed onto the most reduced wing of the bridge from below, from the inside. Needless to say, the video surveillance sensors worked, the guards immediately reacted. They tied up the guys and brought them to the security booth, where they began to torture them with Neva water and electric current. Kidding. They just called the police. What was the surprise of the guys when they learned that all the bridges are guarded, equipped with sensors and video surveillance. YES, also regime objects. As a result, they got the broken drone, and the guys were released. But their impressions remained through the roof.