ON THE PROGRESS OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WESTERN HIGH-SPEED DIAMETRE MOTORWAY
1. General notes about the project
The construction of the Western High-Speed Diametre (WHSD) is one of the most important strategic investment projects in St Petersburg, as it will define the city's development as a major transport hub of global significance.
The WHSD is a major urban toll motorway, with transport links at different levels for most of its eight lanes, where the expected average speed will be 120 km/hr and the maximum throughput of vehicles will be up to 140,000 a day, and it will be equipped with the most modern automated traffic management and communications systems.
The WHSD highway starts in the south of the city, from the southern part of St Petersburg's ring road, passes along the Baltic and Northern railway line, and then runs along the western end of Vasilievsky Island, across the Primorsky, Vyborg and Kurortny areas of St Petersburg, before finally joining the E-18 Scandinavia motorway near Beloostrov village.
The total length of the motorway will be 48.9 km, with 55% consisting of elevated sections, and 45% at ground level.
The WHSD motorway will connect the major transport sites of St Petersburg: Bolshoi Port, Pulkovo airport, key logistical areas, passenger embarkation points being built on Vasilievsky Island will allow increased efficiency in goods transportation, and will improve various kinds of transport.
The construction of the WHSD will complete the most important federal task of ensuring transport links to St Petersburg's Bolshoi Port.
In December 2006 development work was completed on all five sections of the motorway from its junction with the ring road around St Petersburg (the non- residential area Predportovaya-2) to the junction with the E-18 Scandinavia motorway. It was well received by Russia's main review board.
2. The completion of construction on phase I of the WHSD, the section from the ring road junction to the junction at Krasnoputilovskaya Street with the connection of the 3rd and 4th districts of the St Petersburg Sea Port to the WHSD as far as Prospekt Stachek.
Construction on phase I of the WHSD began in September 2005 and is being carried out by the main contractor OAO Mostostroitelny Otriad No 19 as set out in the state contracts.
In October 2008 part of phase I opened to traffic: the section linking traffic from the 3rd and 4th Bolshoi Sea Port districts to the ring road and federal motorways.
Currently not only is that completed section in use, but construction work on phase I of the WHSD is drawing to a close.
Work to erect the ramps on the northern section is being completed (which is constructive, as it allows those sections to be opened up to traffic), work on moving the Ligovsky Canal is also being carried out, the passenger platforms at Leningradsky Prospekt train station are being reconstructed, and an overhaul of engineering links and communications is ongoing.
Seasonal work on painting the structural components of the raised sections should also be completed before June 30, 2009, as should the construction of the upper tier of the asphalt covering for the Avtomobilnaya Street, the preparation of the ground for the connecting section at the 3rd and 4th Sea Port districts, the recultivation of the space underneath the raised sections, the vertical planning and drainage work, the installation of the electricity supply and all elements necessary to protect the environment (noise cancelling screens, glass sections and volatile organic compounds).
From the beginning of work to March 31, 2009, the following aspects of work on phase 1 of the WHSD have been completed:
· 59,315 cubic metres of bored pile with pole footings and reinforcement, and 29,352 cubic metres of solid-cast concrete supports have been made.
· 39,311.5 tonnes of metal superstructure has been prepared and put in place. 37,862 cubic metres of solid-cast reinforced concrete slabs, and 177,368 square metres of damp proofing for the road surface have been made, and bridge sections have been placed at the relevant places, including perimetre barriers, safety rails, drainage sections, lamp posts, and ledges.
· The ground section, including the reinforcement, street furniture and fittings on the junctions with the ring road, Dachny Prospekt, Predportovaya Street, and with the connection to the 3rd and 4th St Petersburg Sea Port districts have been put in place. The filling in and flattening of 103,993 cubic metres of drained ground have been completed, and 29,254 square metres have been fitted with street furniture.
· The following work has been completed: connecting the electricity supply, ensuring lighting is in place, rainwater runoff drains are positioned on both the raised tier and the space underneath it, including the construction of local waste water reclamation facilities, the fitting of noise cancelling glass to the windows of schools and the metro's medical centre (5,336 square metres), the reconstruction of 2.35 km of watercourse, 1.55 km of drainage, 1.27 km of heating, 7.6 km of communications cable, 2.95 km of high and medium pressured gas supply, and the VL 110 kW cable line was replaced with a KL 110 kW cable line for 2.73 km, following the substitution of the TETs-15 and PS-195 equipment.
· The site of the first phase of the southern section of the WHSD and its connection to the 3rd and 4th Sea Port districts is now free from engineering connections, communications, and structures (the demolition of three buildings and 5,420 tent-like metal garages has been completed).
· Phase 1 includes a total of 257,000 square metres of carriageway, structures and roads, of which there are 185,000 square metres of structures, including flyovers, viaducts and reinforcement.
The construction for phase I of the WHSD which connects the 3rd and 4th Sea Port districts cost 17 billion roubles, including the cost of clearing the sites, the reestablishment of engineering and communications links amounting to approximately 3.5 billion roubles (removing and reconstructing the networks, relocating the Ligovsky Canal, the railway, compensation payments, and the demolition of buildings and structures.
3. The continuation of construction work on the WHSD phase II from the intersection with Krasnoputilovskaya Street to the intersection in the area of the Ekateringofka River.
The Russian Government, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Regional Development, Ministry of Economic Development, and Ministry of Finance support the proposal made by the St Petersburg Government on the construction of phase II of the WHSD, which runs for 5.6 km from the intersection with Krasnoputilovskaya Street to the junction in the Ekateringofka River area, which will provide a transport service for the 1st and 2nd Sea Port districts and Petrolesport.
In accordance with the instruction from Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak dated the February 3, 2009 № DK-P13-508 on the financing of ongoing construction for the WHSD the Ministry of Transport introduced draft regulations to the Government, which seek a subsidy from the federal budget of approximately 20.6 billion roubles:
- 6 billion roubles in 2009;
- 14.6 billion roubles in 2010.
The St Petersburg budget will set aside 6.7 billion roubles for this:
- 3.1 billion roubles in 2009;
- 3.6 billion roubles in 2010.
Considering the projected decisions and the current land use along the route of the motorway, the land clearing and preparation of the site for phase II, 2.6 km away from the junction at the intersection with Krasnoputilovskaya Street to the junction with Blagodatnaya Street could go ahead at a faster pace, which would allow the completion of construction and the opening of that section to road traffic by the second quarter of 2010.
Taking into account the reality of the economic situation, currently the possibility of simplifying the technical decisions regarding this section and decreasing the construction costs are being considered.
The completion of phase II of the WHSD is a vital task in construction, as it employs between 3,500 and 4,000 people, in addition to the knock-on employment in related industries (building materials production, machines and equipment, etc.) which is estimated to be between 2,000 and 2,500 people.
