Novosibirsk Rail Bridge

The Novosibirsk Rail Bridge is a single-track railway bridge across the Ob River. Originally constructed as part of the Trans-Siberian Railway mainline, the bridge had originally only one track. It was designed by Nikolai Belelubsky and constructed between 1893 and 1897, with the location chosen by Nikolai Garin-Mikhailovsky. The decision to begin construction near Krivoschekovo village (Кривощёково) is thought to have played a role in the establishment of Novosibirsk.

Selecting a place to cross the Ob River
Choosing a suitable location for the upcoming bridge has been a challenging endeavor. Initially, the intention was for the railroad to go through Tomsk, resulting in the bridge being built about 55 km to the west of the town where the Ob river frequently flooded during the springtime due to melting snow. It was considered unsuitable for building, requiring the search for a different location. The task of finding an alternative fell upon Nikolai Garin-Mikhailovsky, a renowned civil engineer and writer. Following extensive investigation, Garin-Mikhailovsky proposed a narrow section with rocky formations approximately 200 km southwest of Tomsk, now recognized as the city of Novosibirsk, just beyond the north end of the Salair Ridge.

In late August of 1891, a plenary meeting was held in the village of Big Krivoschekovo, with the attendance of three high-ranking state officials: Konstantin Mikhailovsky, Head of the Department of Railway Construction, Vladimir Berezin, State Counsellor who would later become the contractor, and Vikenty Ignatievich Roetsky, Commander of the Exploration Group. They carefully reviewed the hydrographic data provided by Royetski and ultimately chose a location for the bridge crossing near a cattle wade. This decision finalized the selection of the building site for the future bridge.

Construction and initial design
The first railway bridge was designed by the brilliant civil engineer Prof. Nikolai Belelubsky, a well-known Russian scientist in the field of structural mechanics and engineering who developed several bridge projects in the Russian Empire.

Originally, the bridge superstructure was made up of nine bowstring arch through truss spans over the river channel with double lattice girders that measured 109-meter (358 ft.) in length. The design required meticulous alignment of the top and floor elements, known as cords, as well as the inter-cord elements, which are the web elements. These elements were all manufactured using open-hearth steel and were produced at the renowned Votkinsk ironworks, which is now known as the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant located in Udmurtia. This ironworks had been utilizing open hearth furnaces since 1871, which allowed them to produce railway rails for the country's extensive railway network.

During the design process of the bridge's spans, Belelubski introduced a ground-breaking method called the "free carriageway" that transformed traditional bridge design. This innovative technique involved integrating articulated support for the cross beams of the travel surface directly into the lower chords of trusses within the bridge spans. By doing so, the structural integrity and operational efficiency of the bridge were greatly improved, as it effectively lessened the pressure on the truss components. The success and recognition of this design were solidified when it was awarded the prestigious Gold medal at the Edinburg Exposition in 1890. The system's functional features captured immediate attention, eventually earning global recognition as the "Russian type of structural support".

The bridge was built entirely of open-hearth steel, a newly developed material at the time of its construction. Steelwork elements used in the bridge superstructure weighted 4423 tons and were fabricated at the famous Votkinsk ironworks in Udmurtia under the supervision of the prolific contractor General V.I. Berezin. The height above low water-mark was 17 m.

The truss superstructure was set on masonry piers that were reinforced upstream with triangular buttresses (cutwaters) to break up ice that floats downstream in spring. The clear head room was 17 metres (56 ft.) above mean high water.

Constructing the bridge was a long and expensive project, requiring four years of dedicated work and an investment of approximately 2 million rubles. After its completion in 1896, the bridge underwent load tests to ensure its stability. To demonstrate its readiness for public use, a solemn inauguration took place on March 31, 1897, with four steam locomotives triumphantly crossing over the newly built bridge. In addition to accommodating train traffic, a pedestrian path was also established on the bridge. To ensure the safety of pedestrians, wooden sidewalks were crafted. Subsequently, pedestrians were prohibited from moving on the bridge, making the pedestrian path pointless.

The construction process was overseen by civil engineer G.M. Budagov, who expressed deep gratitude for working with Nikolai Garin-Mikhailovsky on developing railway sections, bridges, and stations. Budagov fondly remembered their partnership, praising him as a resourceful, talented, and intelligent colleague who brought energy and joy to the daily lives and work of the builders.

Development and operation


In the 1930s, the importance of the original bridge decreased with the construction of the double-track Komsomolsky (Kimovsky) railway bridge and the creation of a new freight train bypass. Consequently, the primary function of the original bridge changed to mainly serving passenger trains passing through the city center.

In April 1984, the construction train number 429 of the West Siberian Railway successfully mounted a new truss superstructure on the piers of the existing bridge. This separated it from the original rail track. This impressive engineering accomplishment required assembling an astonishing 15.7 thousand steelwork elements, which together weighed a massive 4.5 thousand tons. The ambitious reconstruction project had begun ten years earlier in 1974. To make the construction process easier, a significant approach was created by carefully placing around 78,000 cubic meters of soil. This approach was used as a basis for building a road on the left bank abutment, which allowed for the efficient transportation of necessary construction materials, such as metal and concrete, to the designated construction site. In order to assess the current condition of the existing piers, a team of experts from Leningrad thoroughly examined them by conducting visual inspections, collecting samples, and performing tests on the masonry elements and their foundations. After careful examination, the experts concluded that it would be possible to install new spans on the existing piers. The Ministry of Railways of the USSR made the decision to install the new superstructure and subsequently dismantle the old one, as it was originally designed for smaller engines and lighter railcars.

Since the Novosibirsk hydroelectric power plant was introduced, the ice drifts that used to be strong during the spring season have sufficiently decreased in and around the city. As a result, the need for the cutwaters to serve their original purpose was no longer necessary. Furthermore, they constructed two new abutments to improve the stability and functionality of the bridge. The trusses, which are 100 meters long, were installed between the piers using cranes that passed through the top and inside of the trusses, following the balanced cantilever method from pier to pier.

In 1991, the original bridge was closed to all traffic, beginning the process of its dismantling that lasted over ten years and started in 2000. The new trusses were constructed using advanced high-strength bolts, allowing for quick installation without the use of traditional scaffolding or floating equipment. Although the new spans were stronger and larger, they lacked the aesthetic charm of the time-honored openwork trusses that had served the Trans-Siberian Way for almost 100 years.

Currently, all the old trusses have been removed and the bridge has been converted into a single-track structure. However, the piers and abutments from the previous bridge are still in place, allowing for the potential expansion of the bridge to accommodate double tracks in the future. Furthermore, one section of the former superstructure is still visible along the riverside promenade of the city, acting as an intriguing display.