Smolensky Metro Bridge (russian: Смоленский метромост, ''Metromost'') is a steel

arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct (a ...

that spans

Moskva River The Moskva (russian: река Москва, Москва-река, ''Moskva-reka'') is a river running through western Russia. It rises about west of Moscow and flows roughly east through the Smolensk and Moscow Oblasts, passing through centr ...

in Dorogomilovo District of

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

. It is the first bridge built for the

Moscow Metro The Moscow Metro) is a metro system serving the Russian capital of Moscow as well as the neighbouring cities of Krasnogorsk, Reutov, Lyubertsy and Kotelniki in Moscow Oblast. Opened in 1935 with one line and 13 stations, it was the first und ...

in 1935–1937, designed by N.P.Polikarpov, P.K.Antonov (

structural engineering Structural engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering in which structural engineers are trained to design the 'bones and muscles' that create the form and shape of man-made structures. Structural engineers also must understand and ca ...

) and Yakovlev brothers (architectural design). It is one of two (the second one is Mitinsky Metro Bridge) bridges over Moskva River that are used exclusively by Metro (subway) trains, while the other Metro bridges combine road and rail.

History and specifications

The first stage of Moscow Metro opened in 1935 terminated at a shallow alignment Smolenskaya station. The second stage (opened in 1937) started with a 1.4 kilometer westward extension from Smolenskaya to Kiyevskaya, a station serving the Kiyevsky Rail Terminal, which required a river crossing. Tunnel crossing was impractical; an open contest for the bridge design was held in spring 1935. Yakovlev brothers won with a relatively modest, reserve
prototype
Russian: Московскому метро 70 лет, World Art Museum, Moscow edition, No.14, 2005, ISSN 1726-3050, p.55-56 Actual bridge was built without planned statues and portico. The two-track bridge is supported with two 150 meter long, 11 meter high П-shaped steel arches. Arch box profile is 1.2 meter high at extreme points, 2.7 meter high in the middle. Above ground, track continues on concrete girders above embankments, so the bridge has a total of six spans: 19.225+20.5+19.225+150.0+19.225+19.225 meters. Two main pillars, finished in grey

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies und ...

, are based on flat

caissons Caisson (French for "box") may refer to: * Caisson (Asian architecture), a spider web ceiling * Caisson (engineering), a sealed underwater structure * Caisson (lock gate), a gate for a dock or lock, constructed as a floating caisson * Caisson (pe ...

, each measuring 40 by 17.5 meters (700 square meters).Russian: Носарев В.А., Скрябина, Т.А., "Мосты Москвы", М, "Вече", 2004, стр.141 (''Bridges of Moscow'', 2004, p.141) Regular train service was closed in 1953 when a parallel, deep alignment Metro line was built. In 1958, service was resumed with the opening of

Filyovskaya Line The Filyovskaya line (russian: Филёвская ли́ния, ), or Line 4 and 4A, is a line of the Moscow Metro. Chronologically the sixth to open, it connects the major western districts of Dorogomilovo and Fili along with the Moscow-City ...

References

{{Moscow Metro Deck arch bridges Bridges completed in 1937 Moscow Metro bridges Bridges built in the Soviet Union Filyovskaya Line

History and specifications

See also

References