Story
The Zhivopisny Bridge was recently built. The competition was held in early 2000. The architects were faced with the task of uniting three banks of Moscow at once. She offered the ideal solution. The mayor of the capital really liked it. It was he who proposed placing an observation deck at the top of the bridge and opening a restaurant there. After long and painstaking work, the bridge was opened in 2007.
Picturesque cable-stayed bridge across the Moskva River in Moscow
Zhivopisny Bridge
- a cable-stayed bridge across the Moscow River, located in the west of Moscow. The first bridge of this type in the capital. Connects the Khoroshevo-Mnevniki district with Krylatskoye and Trinity-Lykovo. Upstream the river is the Khoroshevsky Bridge, and below is the Karamyshevsky Bridge.
View of the bridge in 2021.
Photo: Mikhail Arkhipov The bridge design is arched and steel. The total length of the bridge is 1460 meters, the length of the main span is 409.5 meters, the width of the bridge is 37 meters, the length of the arch span is 182 meters, the height of the arch is 105 meters, the number of cable stays is 72. The span height within the ship's passage is 14.5 meters from the NPU. Pedestrians can pass on both sides of the bridge, but access to the side hanging pedestrian galleries running parallel to the bridge has been closed since 2012.
View of the bridge from Serebryany Bor.
2021 Photo: Mikhail Arkhipov The construction of the bridge was planned in the General Plan of Moscow in 1971 - as part of the Krasnopresnensky Prospekt route, starting in the center of Moscow at the Garden Ring and ending at the Moscow Ring Road. But in the end, the construction of the avenue was only partially completed - Marshal Zhukov Avenue and Zvenigorodskoye Highway, which were not connected, were opened. And the construction of the section of the road through Serebryany Bor and Trinity-Lykovo, which included two bridges across the Moscow River, did not begin at all. The project for the modern avenue route appeared in 2003, and work on its construction began in 2004, including the construction of the bridge , the uniqueness of which was that it did not connect the banks, but ran along the coastline of the Moscow River, bypassing the Serebryany Bor natural park. Traffic on the bridge was opened on December 27, 2007.
During the construction of the bridge, additions appeared that suggested the organization of additional public places on the Zhivopisny Bridge - an observation deck, a restaurant and even a registry office, for which an additional capsule room (“flying saucer”) was placed under the arch. In 2011, a decision was made to abandon the construction of a restaurant, but the plans for the observation deck and the registry office were not abandoned - the problem was the construction of special elevators that would take people from the bridge to this capsule. Over the years that have passed since its commissioning, they have not been able to solve this problem.
View of the capsule where it was planned to open a restaurant and a registry office. 2008 Photo: Mikhail Arkhipov
How to get to the Zhivopisny Bridge by metro: from the Polezhaevskaya or Shchukino stations by public ground transport (20-30 minutes), or from the Krylatskoye station on foot - 40-50 minutes. The best view of the bridge opens from the Krylatsky Hills, where several observation platforms are located.
View of the bridge span. 2021 Photo: Mikhail Arkhipov
View of the bridge supports. year 2009. Photo: Mikhail Arkhipov
View of Zhivopisny Bridge from Khoroshevsky Bridge. 2021 Photo: Mikhail Arkhipov
View of the bridge from the Moscow River in 2021. Photo: Mikhail Arkhipov
Bridges on the Moscow River (location downstream, within the navigable zone):
Novorizhsky automobile bridge (M-9 "Baltia" highway) Pavshinsky pedestrian bridge (Krasnogorsk) Mitinsky metro bridge (Krasnogorsk) Spassky bridges (MKAD) Stroginsky bridge Khoroshevsky bridge Zhivopisny bridge
New Karamyshevsky bridge Karamyshevsky bridge Krylatsky bridges Shelepekhinsky bridge Belarusian railway bridges Dorogomilovsky railway bridges Dorogomilovsky bridge Pedestrian bridge Bagration Novoarbatsky bridge Smolensky metro bridge Borodinsky bridge Pedestrian bridge Bogdan Khmelnitsky Luzhnetsky railway bridge Berezhkovsky bridge Luzhnikovsky auto-metro bridge Andreevsky bridge Andreevsky railway bridge P Ushkinsky pedestrian bridge Crimean bridge Patriarchal pedestrian bridge Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge Soaring pedestrian half-bridge Bolshoi Ustinsky Bridge Bolshoi Krasnokholmsky Bridge Novospassky Bridge Avtozavodsky Bridge Danilovsky Railway Bridge Nagatinsky Auto-Metro Bridge Kozhukhovsky Bridge Saburovsky Railway Bridges Brateevsky Bridge Besedinsky Bridges (MKAD) Zaozersky Bridge (M-5 Ural Highway) ) Zhukovsky Bridge (Zhukovsky) Bronnitsky Bridge (Bronnitsy, highway A-107 "Moscow Small Ring") Old Bronnitsky Bridge (Bronnitsy, highway A-107 "Moscow Small Ring") Konstantinovsky Bridge (Voskresensk, highway A-108 "Moscow Big Ring" ") Navlyansky bridge (Voskresensk) Voskresensky pedestrian bridge (Voskresensk) Neverovsky railway bridge (Voskresensk) Afanasyevsky bridge (Voskresensk) Cherkizovsky automobile floating bridge (Peski - Cherkizovo) Bakuninsky bridge (M-5 "Ural" highway) Bobrenevsky pedestrian floating bridge (Kolomna ) Kolomna railway bridge (Kolomna) Mityaevsky automobile floating bridge (Kolomna) Golutvinsky pedestrian floating bridge (Kolomna)
Design
The parameters of the Zhivopisny Bridge can amaze anyone: one and a half kilometers long, forty meters wide and 105 meters high. The length of the main span is more than four hundred meters, so ships can easily sail under it.
There is no other bridge design like this anywhere else in the world. The pylon is made in the form of a large arch spanned between the banks of the river. In this case, the bridge crosses it at an acute angle. Noise barriers can be seen on both sides of the structure. At the top there is an ellipsoid with an observation deck, very similar to a flying saucer. The bridge has eight traffic lanes: four in each direction.
Zhivopisny Bridge design and observation deck
The Zhivopisny Bridge is a cable-stayed arched structure. The cable stays are fixed to the bridge foundation, which is supported by 20–40 meter piles. In turn, the piles rest on cement-filled limestone. To prevent the bridge arch from swaying in the wind, one of the supports is equipped with German-made oil shock absorbers.
The roadway is divided into eight lanes; there are sidewalks on both sides of the roadway, to which staircases lead. At the bend of the arch, at an altitude of more than 100 meters, a glass capsule made in the shape of an ellipsoid is fixed. It is the central part of the observation deck of the Zhivopisny Bridge, and from a distance it resembles a flying saucer. On one side of the capsule there is a gallery bridge, and on the other there is an evacuation bridge to Serebryany Bor. You can climb to the observation deck using special lifts.
Registry office on Zhivopisny Bridge
Muscovites are looking forward to the opening of the most unusual registry office in the capital. The Wedding Palace should start operating on the Zhivopisny Bridge in the near future. One hall of the registry office will be located at the foot of the bridge, on the right bank of the Moscow River, and the other will be in a glass ellipsoid, where the happy newlyweds and their guests will ascend on durable elevators.
Peculiarities
The observation deck of the Zhivopisny Bridge, located at an altitude of almost one hundred meters above the water, has become the highlight of the structure. People called it a flying saucer. A glass ellipsoid hangs under the arch like a huge bead and is the decoration of this amazing structure. The restaurant on the bridge never appeared. According to the official version, the architects were unable to install a sewer system at the top. In addition, the structure experiences strong vibration from wind and vehicle movement.
The picturesque bridge looks great at any time of the day. The arches and shrouds only appear red. They are actually coral in color. In the sun, the observation deck plays with reflections, and in the evening it shimmers in the light of the lanterns and is reflected on the surface of the Moscow River. The bridge offers stunning views of the Krylatsky Hills and the fabulous forests of Serebryany Bor.
Zhivopisny Bridge
Photo of Zhivopisny Bridge
Zhivopisny Bridge – Moscow, Zhivopisny Bridge
The Zhivopisny Bridge of extraordinary beauty was erected across the Moscow River to connect Krylatskoye with Serebryany Bor. However, this project was conceived not only to relieve congestion on the roads and relieve Muscovites from terrible traffic jams in the area, but also to add some zest to the capital. Like the Golden Gate in San Francisco, the Picturesque Bridge is designed to become a unique landmark and calling card of the capital.
Contrary to all traditions, the Zhivopisny Bridge does not stretch across the river, but floats along it, which made it possible to maintain navigation in this part. It has a very beautiful and unusual design, combining the features of a cable-stayed and arched bridge. What gives it a special beauty is the coral arch of an openwork design with an observation deck suspended on it. A glass ellipsoid hung under the arch like a huge bead, decorating this amazing structure.
The bridge was built at the end of 2007. Its height above the river surface is 30 meters, its width is slightly less than 40 meters, and its length reaches one and a half kilometers. The height of the arch is more than 100 m. The dimensions of the ellipsoid are also striking: its length is more than 30 m, its height is 13 m, and its width is about 25 m. Its weight is more than 1000 tons. This building is grandiose in all respects.
Until now, the fate of the ellipsoidal observation deck has not been finally decided. According to the original project, a restaurant was supposed to be located here. But for technical reasons we had to abandon this idea. After which it was decided to open a registry office here. After all, it would be so romantic to conclude sacred bonds not just anywhere, but right in the sky above Moscow! But so far this project has not been implemented.
Every resident or guest of the capital takes their breath away from the spectacle they see. It’s not for nothing that the Zhivopisny Bridge got its name. It is beautiful at any time of the day! On a clear, sunny day, the observation deck sparkles in the sunlight. And in the evening, when the lights on the bridge come on, the arch shimmers in the bright light of the lanterns and is reflected on the dark surface of the Moscow River. There is probably no better place for a romantic date or an exciting photo shoot.
We can talk for a long time about the beautiful view that opens from the bridge, but as they say, it’s better to see once. There are no high-rise buildings here, mostly just small houses. What gives this look a special charm. You get the feeling that you are far from the noisy capital with its frantic rhythm and endless bustle. Along both banks of the river in the area of the bridge there are protected areas of Serebryany Bor, which attract thousands of Muscovites with their clean beaches.
As befits any attraction, the Zhivopisny Bridge has long been overgrown with various legends. For example, that the ellipsoid was designed in the likeness of the cap of the mayor of Moscow Luzhkov, or that it is an object of special services that are seeking to establish contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. Stories like these lift your spirits and make you smile. In fact, the ellipsoid is an integral technological part of the bridge. It is necessary to reduce windage and give stability to the entire structure. The bridge model underwent aerodynamic tests at TsAGI in the city of Zhukovsky.
Today the Zhivopisny Bridge is one of the favorite attractions of Muscovites and city guests. And even though not all the plans of the creators of this grandiose project have yet been implemented and the fate of the giant ellipsoid still remains unknown, the main goal was nevertheless achieved and another amazing object appeared in Moscow that will not leave anyone indifferent. The Zhivopisny Bridge can rightfully be considered the calling card of the capital.
Legends
Muscovites have created many legends about the Zhivopisny Bridge. For example, that this is a top-secret radar installation, so people cannot gather on it. Another version is a UFO decoy.
Young people came up with their own legend: if you climb to the top of an arch or restaurant with your loved one and then date for another year, the love will be eternal. However, the girls were reluctant to climb to a height of one hundred meters, and even without insurance. Today this is generally prohibited. And for the lovers, they decided to set up a registry office on the Zhivopisny Bridge, so that they could truly get married and not worry about their other half.
Tunnel
Zhivopisny Bridge is a continuation of Zvenigorodsky Prospekt, which includes another exceptional object - the three-kilometer Serebryanoborsky tunnel. It consists of two levels: one is intended for the movement of cars, and the other is for metro trains. The tunnel is equipped with the latest technology. There are video surveillance equipment and modern fire extinguishing systems.
A few more facts
The Zhivopisny Bridge itself is part of Zvenigorodsky Prospekt. Next to it there is another interesting object - the Serebryanoborsky tunnel, the length of which is 3,000 meters. Its unique feature is two levels. The first one is used by metro trains, and the second one by cars.
And the year before last, the Skazka amusement park began operating in the vicinity of the Zhivopisny Bridge. There are a lot of interesting attractions on its territory, including a viewing wheel. By purchasing a ticket for it, you can admire the surroundings from a height of 35 meters. From the windows of the closed cabins, in particular, there is a wonderful view of the Zhivopisny Bridge.
Interesting Facts
- One winter, an ellipsoid weighing about a thousand tons almost collapsed onto the roadway of the bridge, as it began to be covered with snow and frozen over with ice.
- The Zhivopisny Bridge project received a gold medal at the Brussels exhibition of innovative technologies.
- All parts of the bridge, except for the cable stays, were manufactured in Russia.
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