The bridge, called Oktyabrsky, was built in the second half of the last century. The Yaroslavl people were looking forward to it, because its appearance connected urban areas located on different banks, making internal communication easy and convenient.
Of course, the bridge, built in the second half of the past century, is now not modern. It, of course, is too narrow for the traffic flow that has flooded the city streets. This is not only about cars, the number of which has increased significantly, but also about public and freight transport. At that time, when the October Bridge opened, Yaroslavl, or rather urban areas located on different banks, connected only a few bus routes. Now, countless shuttles and regular buses are scurrying between the shores.
How big is he?
The width of the Volga in the region of this ancient Russian city is not particularly large. Standing on the promenade, you can easily see the houses, chapels, churches and even passing cars located across the river. Of course, the bridge is longer than the width of the Volga at the place of its construction.
The total length of this structure, including all access structures, is 800 meters. The length of the direct roadway of the bridge, excluding driveways, is 783 meters.
Thus, the size of this structure is impressive now. And in the distant 60s of the last century, the bridge seemed to the townspeople to be enormous. Even now, the October bridge in Yaroslavl is positioned as one of the largest on the upper Volga. This is largely due not to the length, but the height of the spans. The height of the arches above the flowing river in the middle is 26 meters.
When and where was it built?
The October bridge in Yaroslavl began to be erected in 1961. The construction itself was not very simple. Of course, it is not known for certain what difficulties builders and engineers faced. Such nuances were not covered in the press of that time, but there were clearly difficulties. The erection duration eloquently speaks about this - the object was commissioned only in 1966.
The site for the construction of the bridge was the site on which the ferry service operated. Of course, during the construction work, the ferry service, directly on this site, was stopped.
The October bridge of Yaroslavl, the length and height of which is impressive even today, begins on October Square, near the former Mayak plant. The bridge ends on the bank opposite to the central areas of the city, on the site of the Tveritskaya embankment near Urochskaya Street.
Why was he called that?
When the October Bridge opened for motorists, transport and pedestrians, Yaroslavl, like the entire Soviet Union, celebrated the next anniversary of the socialist revolution. The official version of the name is associated with this particular holiday.
In Soviet times, in principle, all the names of streets, significant social facilities, and even industrial enterprises were tied to public holidays or any special dates related to the activities of the party and government. Often the names involved the names of statesmen or heroes of war and socialist labor.
What happened in this place before?
The October bridge of Yaroslavl, the history of the construction of which is full of references to ferries, took the place of not only the ferry pier, but also the church.
Where now the Oktyabrskaya Square adjoins the line of the embankment, that is, at the point where the ascent to the bridge began, until the 30s of the last century there was the Church of Peter and Paul, which opened its doors to parishioners in 1691. Given that this section of the embankment is still the remains of both estates and ordinary houses built at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries have been preserved; there was no shortage of parishioners in this church. But, of course, the Oktyabrsky Bridge of Yaroslavl was not directly to blame for the disappearance of this church.
The history of its construction began decades after the demolition of the temple. However, the church in the 30s of the last century was demolished precisely in order to ensure crossing across the Volga, which was needed not only by the city, but also the country as a whole.
What is the significance and features of this bridge?
The Oktyabrsky Bridge has long been the only connecting link not only between urban areas, it directly connected Moscow and Arkhangelsk, that is, the center of the country with its northern part. Of course, railway bridges existed, but for the flow of cars and trucks, buses, there was no alternative to the Yaroslavl crossing on the upper Volga for a long time.
Thus, the bridge was not only valuable and significant for the townspeople, it was also an important strategic object for the country as a whole.
The author of the project of this building was Evgeny Sergeevich Ulanov, a talented innovative engineer and a relative of the famous ballet dancer. In the 60s there were rumors that Yevgeny Sergeyevich had advanced in the career of an engineer not because of his talents and rationalization proposals, but because of the influence of his sister. Whether it is true or not, it is not known, but the techniques used to build the first bridge in Yaroslavl and on the upper Volga as a whole are even surprising today.
The bridge was technically completely innovative for its time. The main feature of the project was the use of glue. After the construction method was described in one of the newspapers, jokes on this topic began to circulate among the townspeople. Many were simply afraid to drive or walk on the “glued” bridge.
The whole structure consists of separate reinforced concrete blocks, tightened with inner cables and finally mounted with synthetic adhesive solutions.
What is his condition today?
For a long time this crossing was the only one in the city, and, of course, the bridge built in the 60s could not cope with the flow of cars and public transport. In addition, trucks went through it. All this led to the fact that at least once a day there was a major accident on the October bridge. In Yaroslavl, the construction of another crossing began, due to this critical situation, and now all the heavy freight transport does not follow through the old October bridge. Heavy trucks drive north and back through the new Jubilee Bridge, opened several years ago.
This redistribution of traffic led to the fact that the October crossing began to wear less. If at the beginning of this century the bridge was repaired every summer, because of which they blocked one of the road lanes, provoking the formation of multi-kilometer traffic jams almost daily, but now this is not. All four transport lanes are in excellent technical condition.
In the period from 2013 to 2014, a complete reconstruction of this building was carried out. Almost the bridge was rebuilt. Replaced everything that is possible: expansion joints, lighting poles, railings and other elements that make up the structure. The old asphalt pavement, which had been layered over the years and created an additional load on the structure, was completely cut off. Also, protective shields were installed at the entrances and pedestrian stairs were updated.