St. Petersburg is a city of canals, bridges and rivers. And each of these objects has its own purpose, its history and its secrets.
Where is the Duderhof Canal located? It flows in the Krasnoselsky district of the Northern capital. It got its name from the river of the same name Duderhofka, which flowed here even before the mid-twentieth century. During the construction of the canal, water was diverted into it from several flowing reservoirs of this region and the Duderhofka riverbed was changed, straightening it and putting it in granite. Thus, the geography and topography of the area were radically changed. In the upper reaches of the Duderhof, it now flows through the Mozhaisk settlement, Krasnoe Selo, Ligovo, Gorelovo, until it flows into the Duderhof canal.
Waterway Artery
The path of this aquatic artery is quite winding. The Duderhof Canal originates from a pond located at the intersection of the Peterhof Highway with Marshal Zhukov Street. When land reclamation work was carried out to lay the canal, the channels of many small rivers were laid along buried channels underground. So, the Dachnaya rivulet was taken to Krasnenkaya, and the rivulets Ivanovka, Duderhof and Novaya were diverted to the Duderhof Canal under construction. Dams in the upper reaches of some rivers or collectors directing underground water for others were arranged.
Along the entire channel, a shaft was poured, which protects when the surge rises. The shores of the canal for its greater length were dressed in granite in the best traditions of the Northern capital. In some areas, they are reinforced with reinforced concrete walls or earthen slopes. And in the area where the canal flows into the Gulf of Finland, they are not fortified at all.
Stages of development
In the 60s of the last century, construction began more actively in the Gulf of Finland. But its shores had a very large difference in height, because the authorities decided to level them. On the southern shore, territory was raised from the Peterhof Highway to the coast. For this, it was necessary to do the diversion of numerous small rivers, directing their waters to the sea. The ideal solution was the construction of the Duderhof Canal.
Conventionally, the channel of this man-made reservoir can be divided into three sectors. The first is latitudinal, 2.5 kilometers long and up to 30 meters wide. The second sector, the meridian, is located almost perpendicular to the first. Its length is 850 meters, it flows along the South Seaside Park. And the third section of the canal is 1.5 kilometers long - from the Matisov Canal to the Neva Bay.
Bridges and piers
The banks of the canal are very picturesque. For the convenience of residents of the surrounding areas, they are equipped with slopes and piers. For the townspeople, this is a favorite place for walking by the water. Six bridges that connect both parts of the city are thrown across the canal (with a total length of 4.87 kilometers).
In the upper reaches, right behind the pond, there is a dam bridge. It serves to control the water level in the canal and in the pond. Downstream is the cable-stayed bridge, which is located at the Walk of Fame. In these places there were fierce battles during the war, so many objects here bear the names of heroes or are associated with military operations. They keep the memory of the feat of the people, who did not allow the enemy to Leningrad.
Another bridge over the Duderhof Canal is named after the partisan German. Two more bridges are called the First and Second Peterhof. Just a year ago, another object was opened connecting the two shores in the area of Heroes Avenue. It was named after the hero of Russia, Akhmat Kadyrov.
New bridge
The bridge in the area of Heroes Avenue was built in record time, three years ahead of schedule. The grand opening and launch of the first stream of cars took place on May 1, 2016. Its length is 122 meters, width is 40 meters. In essence, it represents two bridges combined into one. Four lanes lead to each side. This bridge has greatly simplified the transport situation in the Baltic Pearl microdistrict. Residents of this part of the Northern capital are now much faster able to get to another part of the city to work or on other matters. The bridge over the Duderhof Canal is very popular and expected.
There was a lot of controversy around the name of this object. Locals rallied to protest against the assignment of the bridge to the name of Akhmat Kadyrov, the former president of Chechnya. But the city authorities approved the name by secret ballot.
Future plans
This area of the city is being actively built up. The Duderhof Canal, whose development prospects are quite extensive, attracts investors and businessmen. In this area, many residential buildings, schools, and other objects of social infrastructure are being built. Roads and bridges are being built. At the bottom of the channel is navigable, which expands the possibilities of its operation.
The Duderhof Canal is a waterway that gave rise to the construction of a whole district of St. Petersburg. Active construction has been going on here for decades, and the number of residents in the district has been increasing day by day. Convenient transport links to other areas increase the attractiveness of this part of the city.