Annunciation Bridge (Blagoveschensky Bridge) (Saint Petersburg) | moveable bridge, road bridge, 1840s construction, bascule bridge

 moveable bridge, road bridge, 1840s construction, bascule bridge

The Blagoveshchensky Bridge spans the Bolshaya Neva River. It connects the Admiralteysky district with Vasilievsky Island. The watershed between the Gulf of Finland and the Bolshaya Neva runs along the axis of the bridge. This is the first permanent bridge across the Neva River: both in terms of construction time and location.

The length of the crossing is 349.8 meters, the width is 38.07 meters. The bridge is eight-span with a drawbridge in the middle. The superstructure is a metal two-winged opening system.

The mass of the wings of the adjustable span is 597 tons each. During the reconstruction of the Blagoveshchensk Bridge in 2005-2007, the wings were supported on the ends of the trusses of permanent spans. This unique solution made it possible to remove part of the weight from the draw span, as a result, there was no need to rebuild its supports. Also, for the first time in the history of bridge construction, counterweights are made using lead blocks.

Wiring is carried out using the latest hydraulic system. Pavilions for mechanics are located right on the surface of the bridge.

The bridge has a unique cast-iron railing designed by architect Alexander Bryullov, the elder brother of the artist Karl Bryullov. The main motif of the drawing is hippocampus, mythological sea horses with fish tails.

Projects of permanent bridges across the Neva River began to appear in St. Petersburg already in the middle of the XVIII century, but at that time their construction was too expensive and difficult. Neva is a deep enough river with a powerful current. In addition, vessels with high masts entered the Neva from the bay, which meant that drawbridges were required.

As a result, St. Petersburg for a long time dispensed with floating or flat-bed bridges — these were temporary structures made of wooden barges-flat-bed bridges. By the middle of the XIX century, both in the world and in our country, experience had accumulated in the construction of permanent metal bridges. In 1842, Russian engineer Stanislav Kerbedz drew up a project for crossing the Bolshaya Neva to Vasilievsky Island. The project provided for the creation of a structure with cast-iron arches in this place. On October 15 of the same year , the project was approved by Emperor Nicholas I. On January 1, 1843, the laying of the new bridge took place. All the work was supposed to be completed in four years. However, in practice, the period turned out to be twice as long.

For the first time in the history of Russian bridge construction, during the construction of the Blagoveshchensk Bridge, piles had to be driven into the bottom of such a fast and full-flowing river. The work under water was carried out with the help of air bells. The underwater part of the coastal abutments was laid out of Finnish granite, the surface part was made of Serdobol granite. They were deepened into the Neva riverbed by ten meters.

The bridge had 8 spans, of which 7 permanent spans of different sizes were blocked by double-hinged cast-iron arches. The draw span was located on the right bank of the Neva River, on the side of Vasilievsky Island. With the help of a mechanism, two wings were moved apart in a horizontal plane, parallel to the surface of the water. The wiring took about 40 minutes. For the first time in the world, the wings of the bridge were made in the form of diagonal trusses. All metal structures were made in St. Petersburg at the Charles Byrd factory.

During the construction of the bridge, the adjacent territory was reconstructed. Blagoveshchenskaya Square appeared on the left bank. Part of the Kryukov Canal was wound up in a pipe. The embankment was significantly expanded from Vasilyevsky Island.

The new bridge was named Blagoveshchensky after the church of the Horse Guards Regiment and Blagoveshchenskaya Square.

The opening took place on November 21, 1850. The emperor arrived at the celebration with his family and retinue. Nicholas I and his sons walked to Vasilievsky Island, and drove back in an open carriage with the heir. At that time, in the middle of the XIX century, the new Annunciation Bridge was the longest in Europe. Its length was about 300 meters.

In 1854, a small chapel was built near the drawbridge, consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. After the death of the emperor in 1855, the bridge was renamed Nikolaevsky. In 1918, the bridge was given a new name in honor of Lieutenant Peter Schmidt, who led the uprising on the cruiser Ochakov during the first Russian Revolution.

Already in the XIX century, the drawbridge span became narrow for large ocean vessels. At the beginning of the twentieth century, engineers developed several reconstruction projects. It was proposed to move the drawbridge to the center of the bridge. But the realization of this idea was prevented by the First World War and the revolution.

In 1936-1938, the bridge was rebuilt. The project was developed by engineer Grigory Perederiy. The number of spans remained the same — 8, but the middle span became adjustable. The all—welded metal superstructure is a two-winged opening system with rigidly attached counterweights and a fixed axis of rotation. The old draw span was blocked by a reinforced concrete superstructure of a double-hinged arch system. The bridge was built using an electromechanical drive.

The Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge is one of the first all—welded bridges in our country. During its construction, an advanced method was used at that time — electric welding. In the process of rebuilding, the technology of underwater concreting was used, as well as a new method of testing superstructures with a water static load.

The new mechanisms were made at the Kirov Plant in Leningrad. The cast-iron structures of the old bridge were transported to Tver, they were used to build a crossing over the Volga. Lanterns from the old bridge were installed on the Champ de Mars. The chapel was not restored. Wooden piles and cast railings remained from the old structure.

In 1975-1976, major repairs were carried out according to the project of engineers of the Leningrad Engineering Project. The wooden flooring of the draw span was replaced with a metal one.

In 2004, the question arose about the reconstruction of the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge. It was decided to bring the architectural appearance of the new bridge as close as possible to the appearance that it wore in the XIX century. The work started in September 2005.

The reconstruction took place in 2005-2007. The old foundations of the pillars have been preserved in working condition for a century and a half, and the steel structures had to be completely replaced. The draw span has been significantly increased. The bridge has become much wider, tram tracks have been removed from it. The hydraulic wiring system made the lifting of the bridge wings fast and smooth.

On August 15, 2007, the crossing was solemnly opened and its historical name was returned to it — the Blagoveshchensky Bridge.

The St. Petersburg newspaper "Severnaya Pchela" in September 1844 commented on the construction of the Blagoveshchensk Bridge: "The very construction of the bridge is a gigantic matter. Hardly in modern times were works carried out on such a huge plan, with such amazing precision, grace, taste and from such precious material! Mountains of granite were transferred here from Finland and, like delicate wax, obey the ingenious thought of man! Steam engines beat piles in the middle of the fast and deep Neva, while under the water they arrange solid stone foundations on the ground reinforced with piles."

In 1917, the cruiser Aurora stood behind the Nikolaevsky Bridge. It was from there that a blank shot was fired, which became the signal for the storming of the Winter Palace.

During the overhaul of 2005-2007, a bridge was built for automobile and pedestrian traffic between the Central District and Vasilievsky Island upstream of the Neva, which was popularly called "the son of Lieutenant Schmidt".

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