Moscow City Government, April 1, 2015
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin inspected the construction of a new elevated section of Volokolamskoye Motorway at Proyezd Stratonavtov.
“This is a one of the most difficult bottlenecks in the city. It’s caused, among other things, by the narrow road and by the Tushino transport hub, one of the city’s largest, and also by the recently opened Spartak metro station, and Otkrytie Arena (Spartak) stadium that are nearby. So, widening this bottleneck has become an urgent priority, officially as part of UEFA World Cup preparations, but in fact, the city needs it,” the Mayor said.
A 1.7 km long elevated roadway is being built on a section of Volokolamskoye Motorway which will separate through traffic from busses and vehicles moving towards the metro station and the football arena. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2015.
“Last year we began this nearly two kilometer long project. In addition, two and a half kilometres of side roads (service roads) will be built. As you can see, about 80 percent of the support columns have been cast, and I hope this large project will be finished this year,” Mr Sobyanin added.
This new section of Volokolamskoye Motorway will have six lanes instead of the current four with three lanes in each direction on the upper through section and three more on the service roads in each direction.
In addition to the elevated section, the project includes a total of 2.5 kilometres of three-lane side roads in each direction with U-turn lanes under the upper section. It also includes designated transit lanes, relaying utility lines, and the installation of around 3,600 sound resistant windows.
Also, Proyektiruyemy Proyezd No 5219 is being rebuilt. This includes an access to Spartak metro station; plus, three pedestrian underpasses.
Overall, 4.3 kilometres of new roads will be laid in the course of the interchange project.
Access lanes have been designed under the elevated section for the traffic going to Tushinskaya and Spartak metro stations, Otktrytie Arena and other places.
Preliminary estimates show that the traffic capacity of this section of Volokolamskoye Motorway will increase by 40 percent which means travel time during peak hours will be cut by 20 to 25 minutes.
The construction began in November 2014. Currently the holes for the piles are being drilled, the supports and the retaining walls for the elevated section are being erected, and service roads and local streets are being laid.
According to Viktor Tikhonov, Director General of the contractor GlavStroy Grupp, the work is on schedule. “As of today, the elevated section is 30 percent complete, and we have finished 80 percent of the supports. We have also begun building the main road spans,” he explained.
These elevated roadways typically take about 36 months to build, but this project will be completed within 15 months, Marat Khusnullin, Moscow Deputy Mayor for Urban Development and Construction, reported.
Mr Sobyanin stressed that the project should not drag on. “This is crucial since, as I take it, you have narrowed the road by one lane during construction. This increased the problem even more. So the sooner you finish, the better,” he noted.
In
Also in 2015, road and tram overpasses will be built on Volokolamskoye Motorway. The project also includes widening the overpasses over the Moscow Ring Railway Road to increase the number of lanes from three to five either way, and will include designated transit lanes.
In addition to the completed Otkrytie Arena stadium and Spartak metro station, the comprehensive development plan for the former Tushino airport includes new social facilities, the Church of Prince Vladimir, a new sports centre (aquatic sports centre, gymnastics centre, football pitches and athletic medical centre), as well as the transport hub.