Inspired by the plant
Buiding of the Bolsheokhtinsky Bridge
As well as turbine equipment, steelwork and machinery manufactured for a range of different facilities are in the portfolio of the famous Leningrad Metal Plant (LMZ) which is affiliated with Power Machines. In 2016, we celebrated the 105th anniversary of one of the most beautiful bridges not only in St Petersburg but in the whole of Russia, the Bolsheokhtinsky Bridge. Metalworkers from the LMZ made the draw span, using nonstandard engineering and process solutions.
The Project of the Bridge
The concept of a bridge which would connect the city center with the dynamically developing Okhta region has been cherished for more than a decade, but it was only in January 1900 that this decision was finally and irrevocably approved.
It should be noted, by the way, that Metallichesky Zavod could easily realize the entire project for connecting up the banks itself; the required resources and experience to do that were available. The plant began the upper span construction as far back as 1882. Its main client was the railways. The plant built a total of 1350 bridges, including major bridges such as the bridge over the Oka, the bridge over the Volga by Rzhev, and two spans of the Trinity Bridge in St. Petersburg.
Road for the City
The city authorities issued a loan for 3 million rubles and the City Council announced an international tender for the Okhtinsky Bridge project starting from September 1, 1901. Provisions in four languages were sent to 7,000 specialists, and as a result 16 projects were submitted to the tender committee: eight from Russia (seven from St. Petersburg and one from Moscow), two each from France and Austria-Hungary, and one each from Germany, Netherlands, Spain and the US.
Eight projects were excluded and six were studied during the first session of the committee. After considering several original projects, one drawn up by the St Petersburg Military Engineering and Technical University Professor, Military Engineer, and Colonel G.G. Krivoshein, and Military Engineer and Lieutenant-Colonel V.P. Apyishkov was chosen. It was called ‘Freedom for maritime traffic’. Their project was recognized as the best, and accepted for execution under the condition that it underwent some modification. Unusually, the authors of this project offered to install a draw span in the middle of the Neva channel. The arrangement of the roadbed suspended to the lower part of bridge arches was also unusual.
Technical assignment in particular implied that movement along the new bridge would allow for pedestrians, carriages and trams with a double line. The bridge had three spans of which the middle opened quickly (in 30 seconds) and a hoist span with an opening for ships’ passage of not less than 42.7 meters wide.
The Rudzinsky and K° plant in Warsaw was appointed as the general contractor of the project. Rudzinsky and K° decided to ask the St. Petersburg Metallichesky Zavod company to construct a draw span bridge with lifting mechanism.
The Mircale of Engineering
In the winter of 1910-1911, the city-side bascule of the draw span was made and in spring 1911 the Okhta-side bascule was constructed. Pre-assembly of one bascule was carried out at the plant yard in order to make precise adjustments of various parts. After verification of the position of the main parts, the bascule was disassembled. For further assembly, it was delivered in single parts to bridge boats, for which the hulls of old battleships were used. Truss was hauled onto bridge boats using special wooden sledges which were brought below the trusses and moved together with them upon the plank floor, which had been smeared with lard.
Installation of both bascules began in summer 1911 and was over by October 1 (according to the old calendar) of the same year. Slinger Ivan Ryibakov and his team displayed miracles of resourcefulness and ingenuity. Under Ryibakov’s guidance, workers were installing heavy riveted trusses in position right from the barges, using simple devices.
In terms of complexity and order execution, the project was a major technical suc- cess for the factory. “Works accomplished with St. Petersburg Metallichesky Zavod Company have been performed wonderfully,” project author G.G. Krivoshein wrote in his report with satisfaction.
The laying of the Bolsheokhtinsky Bridge took place in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava, on June 26 1909, and was initially named in honor of the bat- tle’s victor, Emperor Peter the Great.
By the Name of Emperor
The grand opening of the bridge took place on October 26 1911 (according to the old calendar), although construc- tion works continued up to 1913 (and the first repair after construction took place only in 1971). On the occasion of the opening of the long-awaited bridge, Nicholas II, the Emperor, addressed the participants of the solemn ceremony with an amazingly brief resolution. “Delighted,” he said.