MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th November, 2020) French engineering company Freyssinet, which installed cables of the landmark bridge connecting the Russky island to the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, has been notified about ice accretion on the structure, Primorsky Krai Governor Oleg Kozhemyako said on Friday, adding that the regional authorities expected the firm to help bring the bridge back to normal.
On November 21, the traffic on the bridge was halted after falling ice pellets battered the city following an unprecedented snow cyclone. While the cables are being cleaned manually by some 20 climbers, the authorities have set up a ferry to take people to the mainland every two hours. Despite this, there are lines of people and cars waiting for the ferry, which can accommodate no more than 20 vehicles. The bridge reopening was postponed several times.
"All the necessary materials have already been sent to the French company, which previously installed the cables directly. We are waiting for their experts to arrive. The visit should result in [the creation of] a technology that would allow for fast and effective cleaning of the structure from ice," the regional government said, citing Kozhemyako.
The situation was also discussed with local scientists, who, in particular, considered the option to use special robots which are supposed to be installed on top of the cables and remove ice by thermodynamic action, according to the statement. The technology is used across the world to solve similar problems, the statement read.
The Russky Bridge is among the world's longest cable-stayed bridges and has become the symbol of Vladivostok.
