St. Petersburg is gearing up for the installation of hydraulic cylinders on the Bolshoy Smolensky Bridge, a project that marks a significant advancement in the city’s infrastructure. These cylinders, manufactured at the Obukhov Plant, are more powerful than those used for the Birzhevoy Bridge.

The Bolshoy Smolensky Bridge is larger than the Birzhevoy, requiring stronger cylinders to manage its wider and longer navigable span. The new hydraulic cylinders are designed to withstand a calculated load of 360 tons for opening and 300 tons for closing the drawbridge spans.

All eight hydraulic cylinders, each weighing up to 6 tons and measuring 700 mm in diameter, have been delivered to the construction site. AO “Dorogi i Mosty” specialists are currently working on concreting the elements of the fifth bridge pier, where four cylinders will be installed. The remaining cylinders are scheduled for installation on the sixth pier in August.

The Obukhov Plant previously supplied hydraulic cylinders for the overhaul of the Birzhevoy Bridge in 2022. These cylinders reduced the drawbridge opening time from 9 to 3.5 minutes and have performed reliably for three years. The outer diameter of those cylinders was 560 mm, with each weighing 3.2 tons.

Assembly of the metal structures for the drawbridge span is ongoing at the slipway on the Perevoznaya Embankment. The structure is expected to be moved to the supports and installed in its designated position in the fourth quarter of this year.

The Bolshoy Smolensky Bridge will be the first drawbridge constructed within city limits since the Kantemirovsky Bridge opened in 1982. It is also the first of five new bridges planned across the Neva River in the coming years.

The bridge will feature six traffic lanes, two tram tracks, sidewalks, and a bicycle path. It will connect to the city’s road network via interchanges on Obukhovskoy Oborony Avenue, Oktyabrskaya Embankment, and at the intersection of Dalnevostochny Avenue with Kollontai Street and Soyuzny Avenue.

Working traffic on the bridge is projected to commence in 2027, with full project completion scheduled for 2028.