The Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Aisen Nikolaev, visited the construction site of the bridge across the Lena River today and inspected the progress of the work. Accompanied by VIS Group management, he climbed onto the cofferdam of pier #10 on the right bank. The river operation to release the structure into the riverbed took place on June 3, and on July 17-18, the largest cofferdam for the central pylon was released and installed in its designed position in the riverbed.
“The Lena Bridge is already in the active construction phase. Certainly, one of the most important stages in 2026 was the placement of two cofferdams in the riverbed. This is a highly complex technological solution. The goal in the coming weeks is to fully install both cofferdams. One of them has already been installed in its designated position, and the second will also be fully erected after the water recedes. Despite all the difficulties, construction is proceeding strictly according to plan. I am confident that we will continue to complete all planned stages on schedule,” said Aisen Nikolaev.
After the preparatory work is completed, drilling machines will be deployed inside the cofferdam, where they will begin installing 208 piles – the foundation for the 284.5-meter-tall central pylon.
“What our bridge builders are doing today has never been done before. The successful placement of two cofferdams, one of which is already in place, is a significant milestone in the project. The Lena River is once again demonstrating its stern personality, with record water levels logged for this period due to heavy rainfall. Therefore, it is important to complete all planned riverbed work before freeze-up,” commented Sergey Romashov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of VIS Group.
At a working meeting held at the construction headquarters, the Head of the Republic was briefed on the progress of this year's production program and future plans. Funding is provided from three sources: the federal and republican budgets, as well as extra-budgetary funds raised by VIS Group. To date, the work completed cost over 22 billion rubles.
Concurrently, work continues on both banks. On the left bank, the third cofferdam is being assembled, the reinforcement of pier #5 is 50% complete, and a temporary pier has been built. On the right bank, drilling for the piles of the future piers is actively underway. The largest number of piers – 19 – is located here, and 20 to 32 piles need to be installed for each pier. A total of over 450 people and 110 pieces of specialized equipment are engaged at the construction sites.
“As of today, one pier on the left bank is fully completed, and the pile foundations for 10 more piers have been installed, with a total of 244 of the 920 bored piles. Large-scale backfill work on the right-bank approach to the bridge has begun; it is already 20% complete, with approximately 500,000 m³ of soil removed. With the two cofferdams in place, a new, large-scale work front will open in the riverbed to construct the pylon foundations,” said Sergey Yudin, CEO of VIS Group.
The Lena Bridge is being built under a concession agreement between the Government of Yakutia and VIS Group as part of the “Infrastructure for Life” national project. This is the first bridge of this design and complexity to be built in Arctic conditions. It will provide year-round transport connectivity between the Trans-Siberian and Baikal-Amur railways and the Northern Sea Route, and will connect the Lena and Kolyma federal highways with the Vilyuy highway, linking eastern Russia with the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.
The bridge is 4.6 kilometers long, 2.5 kilometers of which are cable-stayed, and the total length of the highway will be 14.5 kilometers. VIS Group is the concessionaire, investor, and general contractor implementing the turnkey project. Following construction, the holding company will ensure the technical and commercial operation of the infrastructure until 2048.
“The Lena Bridge is already in the active construction phase. Certainly, one of the most important stages in 2026 was the placement of two cofferdams in the riverbed. This is a highly complex technological solution. The goal in the coming weeks is to fully install both cofferdams. One of them has already been installed in its designated position, and the second will also be fully erected after the water recedes. Despite all the difficulties, construction is proceeding strictly according to plan. I am confident that we will continue to complete all planned stages on schedule,” said Aisen Nikolaev.
After the preparatory work is completed, drilling machines will be deployed inside the cofferdam, where they will begin installing 208 piles – the foundation for the 284.5-meter-tall central pylon.
“What our bridge builders are doing today has never been done before. The successful placement of two cofferdams, one of which is already in place, is a significant milestone in the project. The Lena River is once again demonstrating its stern personality, with record water levels logged for this period due to heavy rainfall. Therefore, it is important to complete all planned riverbed work before freeze-up,” commented Sergey Romashov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of VIS Group.
At a working meeting held at the construction headquarters, the Head of the Republic was briefed on the progress of this year's production program and future plans. Funding is provided from three sources: the federal and republican budgets, as well as extra-budgetary funds raised by VIS Group. To date, the work completed cost over 22 billion rubles.
Concurrently, work continues on both banks. On the left bank, the third cofferdam is being assembled, the reinforcement of pier #5 is 50% complete, and a temporary pier has been built. On the right bank, drilling for the piles of the future piers is actively underway. The largest number of piers – 19 – is located here, and 20 to 32 piles need to be installed for each pier. A total of over 450 people and 110 pieces of specialized equipment are engaged at the construction sites.
“As of today, one pier on the left bank is fully completed, and the pile foundations for 10 more piers have been installed, with a total of 244 of the 920 bored piles. Large-scale backfill work on the right-bank approach to the bridge has begun; it is already 20% complete, with approximately 500,000 m³ of soil removed. With the two cofferdams in place, a new, large-scale work front will open in the riverbed to construct the pylon foundations,” said Sergey Yudin, CEO of VIS Group.
The Lena Bridge is being built under a concession agreement between the Government of Yakutia and VIS Group as part of the “Infrastructure for Life” national project. This is the first bridge of this design and complexity to be built in Arctic conditions. It will provide year-round transport connectivity between the Trans-Siberian and Baikal-Amur railways and the Northern Sea Route, and will connect the Lena and Kolyma federal highways with the Vilyuy highway, linking eastern Russia with the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.
The bridge is 4.6 kilometers long, 2.5 kilometers of which are cable-stayed, and the total length of the highway will be 14.5 kilometers. VIS Group is the concessionaire, investor, and general contractor implementing the turnkey project. Following construction, the holding company will ensure the technical and commercial operation of the infrastructure until 2048.
Follow VIS Group:
