MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th December, 2020) French engineering company Freyssinet, which installed cables of the landmark bridge connecting the Russky island to the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, will develop a scheme for the safe operation of the bridge by summer 2021, the Primorye regional authorities said in a statement on Friday.
According to the statement, the experts from the French firm have met with the regional officials after they jointly with Russian specialists identified the main issues in the bridge damage and agreed on further construction decisions.
"Based on the results of the survey, priority problems have been identified. This is damage (crushing) of cable-stayed casings. To prevent further destruction, these places must be sealed. It is also necessary to eliminate the exit of the casings from the expansion pipes in the upper part - [we] plan to do this with the help of climbers," Dmitry Babak, head of the subsidiary of the "Dalniy Vostok" Federal government agency, said.
He specified that the deadline for the development of the technology for priority works to ensure the safe operation of the bridge will be on Wednesday, while the new scheme for the same purposes is expected to be developed by summer 2021.
The landmark bridge reopened last week following a series of extensive snow showers in Vladivostok from November 18-20. The disaster disrupted traffic and caused ice accretion on the Russky Bridge's cables, leaving the residents of the Russky Island without mobile communication. The bridge was closed as the ice posed threat to vehicles and people crossing it. For two weeks, steeplejacks have been manually knocking down the ice from the facility over 1,000 feet above the ground.
Built in 2012, the Russky Bridge spans for 1,885 meters (6,184 feet), which makes it the world's longest cable-stayed bridge. The cost of the facility accounted for $1 billion.� �
