During a working visit to Yakutia, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev, along with the Head of Yakutia, Aisen Nikolayev, visited the Lena Bridge construction site. This is one of the country's largest infrastructure projects, which is implemented under a concession agreement with VIS Group. Financing comes from the federal and republican budgets, as well as extra-budgetary funds raised by the private investor. VIS Group Chairman of the Board of Directors Sergey Romashov and Construction Director Anton Krupnov reported on the progress of the work.
“The bridge across the Lena River is a strategic asset not only for Yakutia but for the entire Russian Far East. It will ensure transport connectivity, create new opportunities for economic development, logistics, investment projects, and improve quality of life. Discussions on the possibility of constructing the Lena Bridge have been ongoing for several years. This is a rather complex project. Aisen Nikolayev, Head of Yakutia, played a major role in resolving this issue. The Republic is providing a significant portion of the funding, and the federal budget is also contributing. Importantly, bridge construction has already begun. We have an understanding of the construction phases and the specific stages to be completed before the next ice drift, so that the bridge is in place and further work can continue,” emphasized Yuri Trutnev.
Work is being carried out simultaneously on both banks. On the left bank, one pier is fully completed, the reinforcement of pier #5 is 50% complete, a temporary pier has been constructed, and pre-assembly of the third cofferdam is underway. On the right bank, drilling for the future pier piles is underway; 244 of the 920 bored piles have been installed. Large-scale backfilling of the roadbed on the right-bank approach to the bridge has begun; it is already 20% complete, with over 500,000 m³ of soil already removed. In total, approximately 400 people and 110 pieces of specialized equipment are engaged at four technological sites that are outfitted with temporary worker camps and production workshops.
The Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian Federation and the Head of Yakutia climbed onto one of the cofferdams designed for the construction of the cable-stayed bridge pylons. The largest metal structure for the central pylon was recently installed in its designated position in the riverbed. Drilling machines will be mounted on metal frames inside the cofferdam and will drill into the riverbed through a system of guide pipes to install bored piles. The cofferdam for the right-bank pylon is scheduled to be deployed to its designated position shortly after the water level in the Lena River stabilizes after having risen to record levels in the past week due to heavy rainfall.
“After the bridge opens, thanks to the decision of the President of Russia, the support of the federal government, and the efforts of the construction workers, we can refer to Yakutia before the Lena Bridge and Yakutia after the Lena Bridge. Today, the country has made enormous investments in the transportation system of Yakutia and northeastern Russia. Currently, due to the absence of a bridge, we have no connection between three federal highways, five regional roads, an international airport, a river port, and a railway. If they are connected, even Yakutia's gross regional product will grow by 2%. Not to mention the supply chain issues, which will certainly be a thing of the past for a significant portion of the republic – not just for the city of Yakutsk but for all of western Yakutia. And, of course, this will be a colossal leap in labor and material resource mobility, in the movement of goods, in the development of new deposits, and construction, also resulting in lower prices. This will change the quality of life for all Yakuts,” noted the Head of Yakutia Aisen Nikolaev.
The Lena Bridge will be the first year-round automobile crossing across the Lena River. The total length of the bridge, including the approaches, will exceed 14 kilometers. Once operational, the bridge will provide year-round service to the Lena, Vilyuy, and Kolyma federal highways, creating a new transport corridor between the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts. VIS Group will operate the created infrastructure until 2048, the deadline specified in the concession agreement.
“The bridge across the Lena River is a strategic asset not only for Yakutia but for the entire Russian Far East. It will ensure transport connectivity, create new opportunities for economic development, logistics, investment projects, and improve quality of life. Discussions on the possibility of constructing the Lena Bridge have been ongoing for several years. This is a rather complex project. Aisen Nikolayev, Head of Yakutia, played a major role in resolving this issue. The Republic is providing a significant portion of the funding, and the federal budget is also contributing. Importantly, bridge construction has already begun. We have an understanding of the construction phases and the specific stages to be completed before the next ice drift, so that the bridge is in place and further work can continue,” emphasized Yuri Trutnev.
Work is being carried out simultaneously on both banks. On the left bank, one pier is fully completed, the reinforcement of pier #5 is 50% complete, a temporary pier has been constructed, and pre-assembly of the third cofferdam is underway. On the right bank, drilling for the future pier piles is underway; 244 of the 920 bored piles have been installed. Large-scale backfilling of the roadbed on the right-bank approach to the bridge has begun; it is already 20% complete, with over 500,000 m³ of soil already removed. In total, approximately 400 people and 110 pieces of specialized equipment are engaged at four technological sites that are outfitted with temporary worker camps and production workshops.
The Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian Federation and the Head of Yakutia climbed onto one of the cofferdams designed for the construction of the cable-stayed bridge pylons. The largest metal structure for the central pylon was recently installed in its designated position in the riverbed. Drilling machines will be mounted on metal frames inside the cofferdam and will drill into the riverbed through a system of guide pipes to install bored piles. The cofferdam for the right-bank pylon is scheduled to be deployed to its designated position shortly after the water level in the Lena River stabilizes after having risen to record levels in the past week due to heavy rainfall.
“After the bridge opens, thanks to the decision of the President of Russia, the support of the federal government, and the efforts of the construction workers, we can refer to Yakutia before the Lena Bridge and Yakutia after the Lena Bridge. Today, the country has made enormous investments in the transportation system of Yakutia and northeastern Russia. Currently, due to the absence of a bridge, we have no connection between three federal highways, five regional roads, an international airport, a river port, and a railway. If they are connected, even Yakutia's gross regional product will grow by 2%. Not to mention the supply chain issues, which will certainly be a thing of the past for a significant portion of the republic – not just for the city of Yakutsk but for all of western Yakutia. And, of course, this will be a colossal leap in labor and material resource mobility, in the movement of goods, in the development of new deposits, and construction, also resulting in lower prices. This will change the quality of life for all Yakuts,” noted the Head of Yakutia Aisen Nikolaev.
The Lena Bridge will be the first year-round automobile crossing across the Lena River. The total length of the bridge, including the approaches, will exceed 14 kilometers. Once operational, the bridge will provide year-round service to the Lena, Vilyuy, and Kolyma federal highways, creating a new transport corridor between the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts. VIS Group will operate the created infrastructure until 2048, the deadline specified in the concession agreement.
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