One of the most famous places in the city of St. Petersburg is Serny Island. And he is familiar to many because of the scandal that erupted over the bridge laid on the island. There is a bridge on the Malaya Neva, the promenade of which often becomes a place of walks for many tourists.
Famous bridge
The bridge and the island of Sulfur are very popular among locals. Malaya Neva divides the city into two parts, making it difficult for residents of different areas to move. The only link between them is this bridge.
The construction of a bridge across Serny Island was more a necessity than a whim. All bridges connecting the island with the city are bred at night, the metro closes, so it is impossible to get from the city to the island. Add to this the increase in traffic! The bridge in St. Petersburg through Sulfur Island, which is the only non-adjustable, becomes a real salvation for most motorists.
Scandals, intrigues, investigations
Due to the construction of a bridge over the island of Sery, city defenders launched a whole struggle for changes in the design. And the fault is the height of the building - 93 meters. The bridge was conceived so large that it could be seen even from the city center. And this, according to local experts, would spoil the impression of the general appearance of Peter.
If you approach the construction site, you would think that the construction of a bridge across Serny Island is in full swing. You won’t immediately guess that the construction plan has not yet been approved. The reason is clear: the idea was planned to be implemented for the World Cup, which will be held in 2018, so you have to hurry.
In general, the bridge is shrouded in many strange and mysterious stories. Construction began in the spring of last year. And everything went well until the procurator noticed that the developer does not have a building permit issued by the State Construction Supervision and Expertise Service.
Later, the construction of the bridge required permission to demolish the building. However, it later turned out that it was built before 1917. According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, the demolition of such buildings is prohibited. Found a way out of the problem - forged documents. So, the official year of construction of the building was 1920. However, the fraud uncovered and opened a criminal case, the results of which are still unknown.
The opinion of the authorities
According to the deputy Alexei Kovalev, the construction of a bridge in St. Petersburg through the island of Sery is going on hard, there is no decent way out of the situation yet. The reason for this is simple negligence and a thirst for profit on the part of the builder, because proposals to reduce the height of the bridge were made even before the start of construction, but they were ignored for some reason.
Even when the topic was publicized, no action was taken. For example, when the vice-governor of the city found out about the situation with the bridge across Serny Island, he ordered an urgent reduction in height without delay. Yes, instructions were given, but the problem remains unresolved so far.
The opinion of professionals
Oddly enough, the opinions of the authorities and ordinary residents regarding the problem with Serny Island coincide. However, the solution to this issue, according to the chief architect of the city, is not so simple.
Vladimir Grigoriev believes that in order to successfully get out of the situation, it is necessary to change the design of the bridge and only after that continue construction. However, it is not possible to finish the construction of the bridge in the originally indicated period: too much work remains to be done.
The only solution is to adjust some points in order to find a compromise between preserving the historical panorama and meeting the deadlines for preparing for the Football Championship. However, this will not bring big changes.
And time goes by ...
This is not to say that the developer does nothing at all. The height of the pylon has already been reduced three times - from 93 meters to 30. However, later the project was amended, and the height was again raised to 44 meters. According to Russian regulations, in some structures this height is considered acceptable, the bridge is one of such buildings.
However, the changes are not yet valid - they exist only on paper. Workers found themselves in a difficult situation: it is no longer possible to act according to the original plan, but they have not yet introduced changes. And there is no way to suspend work, as the deadlines are running out. Now work is underway on those building elements that have remained unchanged.
According to official data, the changes were sent for construction examination. They plan to finish it by the summer of 2018, by then ships should already go under the bridge.
However, here the theory crashes into harsh reality again. Official structures have not yet given their permission, and construction does not even think of stopping. One explanation: the bridge must be surrendered. Therefore, it is highly probable that by the time all problems with paperwork are eliminated, the construction of the bridge will go to its logical conclusion.