06.05.2005 Jubilee of leading bridge design institute

75-year jubilee is a time to summarize results of historical way. Owing to devotion and labor of hundreds of experts, a small design bureau in 30s of the last century has developed by early 60s into a leading design organization of transport facilities, Transmost, which during oncoming years preserved leading positions in certain spheres of activities.

Based on Transmost projects during 75 years more than 600 large-size and out-of-class bridges, hundreds of overpasses, viaducts, multilevel junctions and tens of tunnel structures has been constructed, reconstructed and restored. In cooperation with other building and research organizations, Transmost made a noticeable contribution in development of new efficient typical structures and types of building equipment that are widely applicable in home and foreign building practice.

After sale of shares in 1991-1992 and acquisition of full economic independence it became more difficult to operate in new competitive environment, however high qualification of experts resting on perennial experience in their activities and accumulated traditions, as well as careful and responsible approach to customer and builder’s requirements and demands, outfitting with modern technical facilities give us a justification for confident outlook in the future that the institute team would be able to represent itself with dignity on a complex, continuously developing market of design and investigation services.

Today Transmost Public Joint-Stock Company is one of leading engineering and survey organizations of Russia. Lately, the institute demonstrated outstanding indicators of production and economic activities during the whole period of the company development, twice it was awarded the first official rating of Gosstroy of Russia among design organizations of construction complex.

The key direction of OAO Transmost activities: investigations and design of new structures, as well as reconstruction of existing artificial structures on railway and motor roads.

The institute history started in January 1930, as a result of measures adopted by that time by the Peoples’ Commisariat of Communications (NKPS) for centralization of railway construction in our country. At that time, under the aegis of Railway Central Department (CUZhel NKPS) a first design bureau was established in Leningrad for railway transport to develop a bid project of a bridge across Volga river near Saratov, one of the first large-size bridges earmarked for construction in the 1st five-year plan. Bridge engineering was entrusted at a time to Bridge department of CUZhel and professor G.P.Peredery, who headed bridge department of land faculty in the Leningrad Institute of Railway Engineers (LIIPS).

On the initiative of G.P.Peredery, in January 1930 a “Leningrad Design Bureau of CUStroy NKPS” was established by NKPS order to complete assigned task, which laid a basis for a future design institute. Grigory Petrovitch Peredery was the first director of this bureau. Design bureau incorporated three sectors, which mainly recruited LIIPS graduates, including a sector of artificial structures, where 20-25 experts worked in mid-30s with a total number of about 60 employees in design bureau. Later, exactly this group laid a basis to form and develop an independent specialized organization for investigations and design of artificial structures on railway and motor roads.

From January 1931 our company performed as a Leningrad division of Giprotrans (LO Giprotrans) with a total number of employees about 150. In future, depending on subordination, our company changed its name several times: LO Gosproekttrans of Glavzheldorstroy from 1932, Lenproektput from 1933; Lenmostproekt of Mostrotrest from 1935; Lentransmostproekt of Soyuztransproekt from 1937; Lengiprotransmost institute from 1962; OAO Transmost from 1993.

The first decade of Transmost activities was a period of formation as a specialized entity for investigations and customer-oriented design of artificial facilities for railway transport. Concurrently such directions of activities as design of new and reinforcement of existing metal bridge superstructures on the network of railway roads, development of typical structures for small-size bridges and water-flow pipes were shaped. The first studies for design of railway tunnels and bridge spans had been conducted. At that time investigations and design of objects had been conducted by complex expeditions. Among them, expeditions for design of artificial structures on Zabaikalskaya, Ussuriyskaya, Dalnevostochnaya railways, Severo-Pechorskaya, Baikalo-Amurskaya and other railway lines.

In-1933 — 1936, K.G.Protasov, later professor and doctor of technical science headed the sector of artificial structures. At that time integrated engineering and survey expeditions were critical structural divisions of design bureau and these were the first to contribute their creative efforts in company setup and further development.

Pre-war period is characterized by substantial volume of engineering and survey activities on 60 objects within major railway construction sites in the European part, the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. Major design objects: bridge overpasses across Amur near Komsomolsk, across Selenga, Uda Sibirskaya, Tunguska, Bureya, Pechora, Volkhov, Enisey rivers and on BAM railway across Tynda, Gilyi and Zeya rivers.

Concurrently detailed design plans and specifications were developed for construction of bridges with bridge spans across Volkhov, Svir rivers and Belomorsko-Baltyisky channel. Based on projects and procedures worked out by experts of Lenmostproekt, metal structures of bridge spans on 35 objects has been completed without interruption of railway traffic, including major bridges across Enisey, Chulim, Ob, Biryusa and Hoper rivers.

Taking exclusively projects developed by guest teams and groups, all large, medium and small-size artificial structures on construction of second railway tracks and new railway lines had been constructed with a total length of 7,540 km.

The plan for engineering and survey works for 1941 included numerous number of objects distributed across the whole territory of the country. Detailed design activities were conducted during construction of Severo-Pechorskaya railway line and Akmolinsk – Pavlodar railway line, engineering efforts continued inn the Far East but the major scope of works was completed on railways in western parts of the country and in Baltic republics.

The key objective of Lentransmostproekt during the Great Patriotic War covered engineering and survey studies for temporary and short-term restoration of railway bridges destroyed in zones of military operations. Solving this task, experts of design bureau substantially contributed in completion of enormous scope of restoration works on railway transport.

In 1942 – 1945 major part of engineers was deputed to front line design teams operating within departments of military & restoration departments, which were established under headquarters of all fronts: Leningradsky, Kalininsky, three Belorussian, Northwest, Karelsky, three Pribaltyisky and others, where projects for temporary restoration of bridges had been worked out under conditions of complex combat environment within shortest terms. Part of bureau bridge construction experts worked in military restoration units.

In total, during war period more than 2,700 major railway bridges with a total length of 230 km were restored based on projects of front design teams. Thirty (30) experts of Lentransmostproekt were awarded with orders for participation in restoration works during wartime. To our regret, it could not happen at the cost of heavy sacrifice. During wartime, 5 volunteers from our team members died in 1941 four died after bombardments and artillery shelling in Leningrad and 26 persons died from hunger during blockage. May their memory live forever. During wartime, concurrently with engineering and survey studies for temporary restoration of bridges, Lentransmostproekt engineers also completed tasks associated with construction of new objects in the rear of large significance for state defense. These include Ufa – Magnitigorsk, Perm – Sverdlovsk, Izhevsk – Cheptsa, Arkhangelsk – Ekonomiya port railway lines and secondary railway tracks Vologda – Arkhangelsk, etc. After the war, Lengiprotransmost remained the largest organization of major importance for development and improvement of bridge and tunnel construction techniques. During 50s, the key objective of the institute was to design major repair of large and medium-size bridges. Based on institute designs, 130 bridges were subjected to major repair, including bridges across Neva, Svir, Volhov, Zapadnaya Dvina, Dnepr, Yuzhny Bug, Dnestr, Don, Pripyat, Berezina, Prut and other river, as well as 20 major viaducts and 23 tunnels on Lvovskaya railway. Lengiprotransmost took part in design and technical supervision over construction of numerous facilities on BAM railway. Based on the institute designs, 21 lrge-size bridge has been constructed, including bridges across Selemdzha, Bureya, Olekma, Nyukzha, Bissa, Khani, Kovanta, Childzhi, Larba rivers, etc. The first railway bridge has been constructed on BAM railway across Lena river on the western part of railway and railway line terminal combined bridge across Amur in the eastern portion of the railway; Dusse-Alinsky tunnel of 1,700 m length had been renovated. During the whole period of railway construction, our institute was a leading design entity for small-size bridges and water-flow pipes, as well as development of typical and prototype structures for rigorous climatic conditions, for BAM railway including with regard to permafrost soil and seismic conditions of construction area. Our institute is specialized for complex design of large-size and out-of-class bridges with bridge spans. Sixteen (16) bridge spans were constructed or replaced, including all machinery, equipment and power supply. In 1963, the institute for the first time in our country developed and introduced a system of hydraulic machinery drives for drawing of bridge spans. Based on Transmost projects, draw bridges of different systems have been constructed (reconstructed) and are being successfully operated, including: · vertical hoisting systems: across Severnaya Dvina river in Arkhangelsk, across Krivaya Bolda river near Astrakhan, across Dnepr in Dnepropetrovsk, across Svir river near Lodeynoye Pole. Moving bridge sections reach 2,400 t and estimated bridge spans 109.2 m with lifting height 35- 40 m; · Rotary systems across Belomorsko-Baltyisky channel, in the head water of Novosibirsk HPP, bridge repair across the channel in Liepaya. Moving parts on above bridges reach 200 t, estimated bridge spans 30 m and turning angle 90°, time to draw the bridge is 2 min; · opening systems across Neva river in Saint-Petersburg: Liteyny, Aleksandra Nevskogo, Volodarsky, Finlyandsky, Bolsheokhtinsky bridges, Ladozhsky bridge across Neva river in its estuary, two bridges across Dange river in Klaipeda, a bridge across Ingup river in Nikolaev. Moving parts on above bridges reach 3,325 t, estimated bridge spans 60 m and opening angle 78°, time to draw the bridge is 2 to 3 min. Transmost has developed a unique project, i.e. “Complex of standardized components and units for accelerated construction of motor road bridges” Based on this project, about ten of bridges has been constructed. Application of standardized components and units enabled us to erect, within record timeframe, during one year only, two large-size bridges across Dnepr and Pripyat rivers during liquidation of emergency situation on Chernobyl NPP. High economical effect has been achieved during application of existing ice aprons for reinforcement of piers and installation of bridge spans for the 2nd railway track or road train. The institute has developed over 300 projects of building machines and equipment of different types: cargo-lifting cranes, equipment for immersion of shells and soil development, pile drivers and pile driver hoists, equipment for installation of bridge spans and other types of structures. Prepared projects of bridge-building equipment implemented more than 30 inventions of the institute experts accepted by State Committee on inventions. The institute takes leading positions in design of typical structures for mass construction on railway and motor roads: reinforced concrete, steel & reinforced concrete and steel bridge spans, prefabricated, monolithic, web and pillar supports, ballast-free bridge road blanket, as well as complex design of bridges and machinery of bridge spans. Today, the catalogue of typical projects for transport construction accounts for over 60 institute projects on different types of transport artificial facilities for mass employment. During development of projects for municipal bridges we pay critical importance to bridge architecture and adaptation with municipal environment. As an example, we may indicate architectural design of bridges across Daugava in Riga, across Irtish river in Omsk, across Severnaya Dvina in Arkhangelsk, across Enisey river in Krasnoyarsk, across Neva river at Maryino settlement and a metro bridge across Ob river in Novosibirsk. Starting from 80s, construction of metal bridges has been widely used. Bridge spans were exclusively welded, with an application of high-strength and high cold-resistance bridge steel, or steel with connections made of high-strength bolts, with orthotropic or reinforced concrete slabs on roadway, included in joint operation with main beams. Large bridge overpasses has been constructed on highways of federal and republican importance across Zeya, Enisey near Kyzil, across Abakan, Dnepr near Slavutich, groups of bridges in Krasnoyarsky Krai and Tyumen region. Following completion of the first stage of reconstruction, railway traffic was resumed in 1998 and in 1999 motor road traffic was resumed across combined bridge overpass across Amur river in Khabarovsk. In 1980, the institute collective was awarded an order of Labor Red Banner for achievements in development of domestic bridge construction and development of cost-effective typical projects for mass industrial construction of bridges. During a period from 1962 nine objects were constructed based on the institute projects, which were awarded with State Prizes and Prizes of the USSR Council of Ministers; thirty two engineers and technicians were awarded with a title of State Prize Winners. After 1990 OAO Transmost projects were and are being used for construction, reconstruction of major motor road bridges in different regions of the country: · in the Far East: bridges across Tuba, Bureya and Amur rivers in Khabarovsk; · in Siberia: bridges across Enisey river in Krasnoyarsk and Kyzil, across Irtish river in Khanti-Mansyisk, bridges across Agan, Tromegan, Katimegan, Shunyo and Baiballakovskaya rivers; · in Saint-Petersburg: construction of Bolsheokhtinsky and Volodarsky bridges across Neva river, a new Finlayandsky bridge, a viaduct of Ushakovskaya multilevel junction, overpasses and viaducts of beltway, spans of transport multilevel junction on Stachek prospect, overpasses in Shushari and on Sofiyskaya Street; · in Nizhny Novgorod: metro bridge across Oka river; · in Moscow: six sections of the 3rd transport beltway of total length over 15 km of artificial structures and new Andreevsky and Krasnoluzhsky two-way railway bridges across Moskva river, a bridge across Moskva river on the 16th km of Moscow-Kursk railway line; · reconstruction of bridge overpass across Buzan river on Astrakhan – Aksarayskaya electrified section of Privolzhskaya railway with construction of new metal bridge in 50 m downstream of existing one (length 727.8 m, draw bridge span 45 m); · draw bridge in Kaliningrad region and many other objects. On September 11 2004, traffic was opened on a ceremony in Khanti-Mansyisk through a bridge across Irtish river of 2,150 km length, which connects Siberia and European part of the country. In the course of bridge design, special attention was paid to free navigation of vessels in under bridge space and bridge architecture, thus identifying application of combined steel solid system with arc girder, having no analogs. OAO Transmost accumulated 75-year experience in the sphere of design for artificial structures. The company is capable to complete integrated design of transport structures with any degree of complexity/ Besides combination of high-qualified personnel working in our company for many years, with constant inflow of young experts may be reviewed as a solid basis for steady growth of our company in the nearest outlook.