The transport situation in the Eastern Administrative Region of Moscow has been quite tense for quite some time. The capacity of the existing road network has been exhausted. And only the reconstruction of the Shchelkovo highway as one of the main highways going east could change the situation radically.
From the history of the issue
The road going from the center of Moscow in this direction has existed since ancient times. But in the final way, in its current form, the Shchelkovo highway took shape only at the end of the nineteenth - at the beginning of the twentieth century. Intensive development on both sides of the highway occurred here in the Soviet period of history, mainly in the second half of the last century. Its name Shchelkovo highway received in 1960 in honor of the Moscow Region city in the direction it goes. It is interesting to note that the route does not go through Schelkovo. Reconstruction of the Shchelkovo highway has ripened for a long time. But this question was constantly postponed indefinitely for various reasons, mainly of a financial and economic nature.
Process started
But things moved from the freezing point about a year and a half ago. The full-scale reconstruction of the Shchelkovo highway began in September 2012. The builders had to carry out a very significant amount of work throughout the highway. And it was necessary to do this in a fairly limited time frame, since the implementation of such large-scale projects inevitably creates big problems for the entire transport infrastructure and everyday life of the city. However, in the course of the work, their general contractor, which is Transstroy Corporation OJSC, encountered significant difficulties. Currently, there is a significant lag behind the work schedule. Nevertheless, the planned terms for the reconstruction of the Shchelkovo highway provide for the completion of the entire project in full by September 2014. Nobody has reviewed them yet.
Preparatory work
The daily life of such a large metropolis as Moscow is directly dependent on the smooth functioning of transport communications. And any work on the reconstruction of the existing infrastructure cannot but affect the throughput of the highway throughout the entire period of construction work. In order to reduce this period to a possible minimum, a preliminary cycle of work was carried out aimed at unloading the highway and organizing bypasses along parallel streets. Reconstruction of the Shchelkovo highway was possible only after the preliminary removal of utilities, the contact network of urban electric transport and the felling of green spaces on expandable sections of the route. Which was done, albeit with a significant lag behind the schedule.
Project Technical Details
The reconstruction plan for the Shchelkovo highway implies work throughout the highway from the Garden Ring to the Moscow Ring Road. The length of the reconstructed section is approximately eleven and a half kilometers. The main idea of the reconstruction is aimed at creating a traffic-free traffic zone at the maximum possible distance of the highway. This is not the only, but the most effective method of dealing with traffic jams. In addition, the reconstruction scheme of the Shchelkovo highway implies a significant expansion of the carriageway of the highway and the provision of three-four-lane traffic in each direction with the allocation of the right lane for public transport.
Flyover at the metro station "Schelkovskaya"
The most complex engineering facility, which includes the project for reconstruction of the Shchelkovo highway, is a two-level transport interchange at the intersection of the highway with Uralskaya Street. The total length of this flyover exceeds half a kilometer. The main difficulty in its construction is that it is necessary to build the entire structure without stopping traffic on the intersected street. To do this, all sections of the span structure are built directly on the spot, on a special slipway. Then sequentially pushed over the roadway. This is not the easiest and most affordable installation method, but it allows you not to stop the movement.
Close to Shchelkovo highway
It’s not a secret for anyone that when carrying out such large-scale reconstruction of city highways, things can in no way be limited to expanding the roadway and even building multi-level interchanges. The effectiveness of all this will be reduced to zero if the necessary set of work is not performed in the territories directly adjacent to the reconstructed highway and on the streets intersecting with it. That is why the reconstruction of the Shchelkovo highway underway provides for the construction of lateral passages and approaches to the interchange at the Shchelkovskaya metro station, the construction of three new and overhaul of two existing underground passages, the repair of traffic lights and roadway fences. In addition, the reconstruction program provides for the replacement of thirty thousand window blocks in houses whose facades overlook the highway. Such a measure can reduce the noise level in apartments.
Reconstruction of the Shchelkovo highway beyond the Moscow Ring Road in doubt
The weakest point in the whole well-developed project was that part of it, which implied the continuation of work in the direction of the region. Immediately after crossing the Ring Road, the lane narrows sharply, and the so-called “bottleneck” appears. Traffic jams in this place become inevitable. Reconstruction of the Shchelkovo highway outside the Moscow Ring Road was traditionally considered the second part of the ongoing project. It was supposed to begin after the work on the entire highway from the Garden Ring to the Moscow Ring Road was completed. But in reality, everything was not so simple. The problem is that beyond the Ring Road there are not even sidewalks of normal width, and residential buildings come very close to the roadway. For the most part, these are modern multi-story residential complexes. Their possible demolition and relocation of the entire underground communications system would be very expensive for the budget. The construction of a large tunnel would be no less costly. Currently, a final decision on the continuation of the Shchelkovo highway beyond the Moscow Ring Road has not yet been made. Different options are being considered. There are several options for the construction of duplicate routes. But the complexity of their laying is also due to the fact that they will have to be built in forest lands near Moscow that have the status of protected areas.