New Ulyanovsk Bridge
Encyclopedia
The New Ulyanovsk Bridge is a truss bridge
that crosses over the river Volga in Ulyanovsk Oblast
, Russia
, connecting the city of Ulyanovsk
with the east side of the Ulyanovsk Oblast. It is the second longest bridge in Russia, and one of the longest bridges in Europe, with a length of 5.85 kilometres (3.6 mi), and 12.98 kilometres (8.1 mi) if the high-way is taken into account.
It has 25 spans of 220 metres (721.8 ft) and weighs 4,000 tons. The bridge's capacity is over 40,000 vehicles per day.
and the Far East
.
The design of the bridge began in 1980, and the construction in 1986, originally planned to take nine years. The first pillars were installed in 1988, and the first span in 1992. It cost a total of 38.4 billion rubles (2008 prices).
The opening ceremony took place on 24 November 2009, and was attended by the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
and Ilham Aliyev
, President of Azerbaijan
. At this stage only the first part of the bridge was opened; the lower tier of the bridge is scheduled to open in 2012. It took more than 23 years to build the bridge; completion was delayed significantly due to lack of funding and economic difficulties following Russia's transition
after the collapse of the Soviet Union
.
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
that crosses over the river Volga in Ulyanovsk Oblast
Ulyanovsk Oblast
Ulyanovsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the Volga Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Ulyanovsk...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, connecting the city of Ulyanovsk
Ulyanovsk
Ulyanovsk The city is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin , for whom it is named.-History:Simbirsk was founded in 1648 by the boyar Bogdan Khitrovo. The fort of "Simbirsk" was strategically placed on a hill on the Western bank of the Volga River...
with the east side of the Ulyanovsk Oblast. It is the second longest bridge in Russia, and one of the longest bridges in Europe, with a length of 5.85 kilometres (3.6 mi), and 12.98 kilometres (8.1 mi) if the high-way is taken into account.
It has 25 spans of 220 metres (721.8 ft) and weighs 4,000 tons. The bridge's capacity is over 40,000 vehicles per day.
History
The new bridge was built as the aging Ulyanovsk Bridge (built 1913–1916) could no longer cope with the growing traffic. It was constructed as a part of a federal modernization program and aimed at linking the European part of Russia with the Urals, SiberiaSiberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
.
The design of the bridge began in 1980, and the construction in 1986, originally planned to take nine years. The first pillars were installed in 1988, and the first span in 1992. It cost a total of 38.4 billion rubles (2008 prices).
The opening ceremony took place on 24 November 2009, and was attended by the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
and Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev is the President of Azerbaijan since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and the head of the National Olympic Committee...
, President of Azerbaijan
President of Azerbaijan
The country of Azerbaijan is a presidential republic, with the President of Azerbaijan as the head of state, and the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan as head of government...
. At this stage only the first part of the bridge was opened; the lower tier of the bridge is scheduled to open in 2012. It took more than 23 years to build the bridge; completion was delayed significantly due to lack of funding and economic difficulties following Russia's transition
History of post-Soviet Russia
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union on 29 May 1991, the Russian Federation became an independent country.Russia was the largest of the fifteen republics that made up the Soviet Union, accounting for over 60% of the gross domestic product and over 50% of the Soviet population. Russians also...
after the collapse of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
.