Start with a clean bridge

The Moscow authorities plan the overhaul of the Big Moskvoretsky Bridge, on which opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was killed two years ago. The customer of the reconstruction is GBU "Gormost", the very organization whose employees regularly destroy the Nemtsov memorial, again and again erected by activists at the place of murder of the politician. At the public hearing, the head of the Hormost on the eve of the public hearings, could not explain why flowers were exported from the bridge in a special operation regime, but said that the reconstruction was planned in 2013 and will begin in May.

“In the spring of this year, a group of construction workers appeared on the Moscow River, next to the Moskvoretsky bridge”-this began the article “New Moskvoretsky Bridge” in the Pravda newspaper for October 27, 1937, which spoke about the start of the construction of the Big Moskvoretsky Bridge in its current form. Eighty years later, these words can again become relevant. The metropolitan government plans to carry out the overhaul of the large Muscovite bridge, its value is estimated at more than 3 billion rubles. At the same time, such large -scale work was announced immediately after the second anniversary of the murder of the opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, shot on this bridge.

The construction of the reinforced concrete Moskvoretsky bridge was part of the 1935 general reconstruction plan, and its main principle was to "reflect the beauty of the socialist era." An important part of the plan was the construction of eleven new bridges across the Moscow River to improve the connection between the areas. They did not spare money and materials for construction and did everything according to Soviet custom for centuries.

The opening of the Moskvoretsky bridge was timed to the 20th anniversary of the Great October Revolution. On this day, a thousand demonstrators with scarlet banners, with portraits of Lenin and Stalin, came to the bridge after the parade on Red Square. They chanted "Glory October" - a large -scale Moscow construction seemed another step into a bright future. The future was not as bright as I wanted to believe. In the late evening of February 27, 2015, politician Boris Nemtsov was killed. The Big Moskvoretsky Bridge, where the crime occurred, was again filled with people who came to the march of memory. This time, most of them, unlike the participants in that long -standing demonstration, did not support the current government. But the spirit of political repression was again felt - almost the same as several decades ago.

Starting from the night of the murder on the Big Moskvoretsky bridge, the struggle for preserving the spontaneous memorial to the murdered opposition policy unfolded. People brought flowers and photographs here, but a few days later the employees who were responsible for the object of the company "Hormost" removed them. The story was repeated again and again. The members of the Solidarity movement asked to install a memorial plaque, but the capital’s authorities did not allow this to do this. And in early March 2017, Hormost announced a tender for the overhaul of the bridge. Reconstruction plans are easy to associate with the desire of the authorities to finally solve the problem of the memorial:

We remember well when there were rallies on the 31st, closed the area of Mayakovsky, triumphal under the pretext of some endless reconstruction

- The idea of reconstruction, of course, has a political one and, I would say, a demonstrative character. To remove the question of the national memorial and for some time to turn off the bridge out of everyday life, including political political, such a measure is proposed. We remember very well when there were rallies of the 31st, covered the area of Mayakovsky, triumphal under the pretext of some endless reconstruction, although no reconstruction was carried out. There were simply concrete fences, and they didn’t let anyone in. Such a receiver exists, ”says the architect, rector of the architectural school, march Evgeny Ass .

But major repairs were planned four years ago - much earlier than the murder of Boris Nemtsov. On the official public procurement website, you can find a tender for a pre-project examination of the Big Moskvoretsky Bridge, it was posted in December 2013, it was won by the construction enterprise Gvin-Pin. It was supposed to conduct geological and hydrogeological surveys, examine the state of the bridge, calculate three options for the cost of its reconstruction, think over the concept of overhaul and its technical and material justification. By the fall of 2014, these preliminary work was completed. In November 2015, the company "Hormost" posted a tender for the adjustment of the project. The Gwin-Pixe won it again.

Judging by the procurement plan for major repairs, more than 3 billion rubles will be required to put the bridge in order. For comparison: the overhaul of the capital’s Nagatinsky bridge, which also includes work on the reconstruction of the metro tracks, costs the “hormost” of 1.7 billion rubles, and repair work in sections of roads of a garden ring with adjacent public spaces cost an average of 1.4 billion per kilometer. The length of the large Moskvoretsky bridge is 554 meters.

All projects for reconstruction, repair and new buildings in the city worth more than 1 billion rubles should go through public hearings. The GBBU "Hormost" formally fulfilled this obligation: a public meeting was organized on Tuesday morning, March 7, although by law a public hearings should be held at non -working hours. Not everyone had enough places in the audience where the meeting was held: many who came crowded at the door, journalists hardly handed the chambers to the hall. The guards of the "Hormost" took the laptops, allegedly, so that unregistered media could not "shoot". The phones were allowed to leave. Some generally had problems in order to go into the hall where the hearings took place:

“I got to these hearings by a miracle. A miracle-because the hormost chop at a certain moment refused to let people into the hall with laptops and cameras, and then everyone else came to the public discussion of people. It was done absolutely illegally, the hearings were open and all those who wish should be launched on it. After about 15 public confrontation with the Chop, one of the leadership of the“ hormosts ”nevertheless instructed people to miss,” he says in his own way. Facebook lawyer of the Corruption Fund Lyubov Sobol.

The meeting showed many photos of rusty elements of the bridge design. They explained that for repairs it will be necessary to change arched spans, deformation seams, soda settings and much more. The high cost of work was explained by the fact that for their implementation it would be necessary to almost raise the canvas of the bridge in order to "climb inside." To this you need to add the cost of the materials themselves and the repair of complex mechanisms. Based on the results, they promised to increase the life of the bridge by 20-25 years. However, to the question, how many years could the bridge without a major overhaul could serve, the head of the GBU "Hormost" could not answer.

Bolshoi Moskvoretsky is not the only bridge that has been standing for 80 years and which will have to reconstruct. In January 2017, at the Presidium of the Government of Moscow, it was decided to overhaul the twelve bridges of the capital. In addition to the Big Moskvoretsky, to update, in particular, they plan Crimean, Big Ustinsky, commissariat bridges. But Borodinsky, which was built back in 1912, the reconstruction has not yet threatened.

Architect Eugene Ass believes that theoretically the design of the Big Moskvoretsky bridge could be improved: entrances to it and trips from it are not very successful. In his opinion, pedestrian descents and exits to the bridge is also worth to improve. But Eugene does not see the need for overhaul. Other experts agree with him:

- It is better to leave a large Moskvoretsky bridge as it is. The Moscow river is very long, and there are many places where there are no bridges. And there is a need to move to the other side of the river. There you need to make bridges there. And these (built according to the General Reconstruction of Moscow 1935. - RS) work well, there is not such a large flow of cars and people, ”says Ilya Lyava, head of the department of urban planning of Markha.

Belief in the statements of the customer of the reconstruction of the justification of the overhaul and its price is interfered with crawling, which the head of the Hormost manifests itself when it comes to the memorial to Boris Nemtsov.

***

According to the project of architects A. Shchusev and P. Sardaryan, the bridge was to become part of a single architectural ensemble with the Kremlin and the embankments of the Moscow River. To do this, the cladding was made of pink granite, close in color of the Kremlin brick laying, under the cornice of the main flight was made by brackets echoing with the teeth of the Kremlin walls. In 2007, Bolshoi Moskvoretsky was included in the list of objects of cultural heritage of Russia. In 2013, they wanted to include the reconstruction of the bridge in the project to build the Zaryadye Park, the bridge planned to land and make partially pedestrian. But they refused the idea.

The leadership of the GBBU "Hormost" promises to preserve the historical appearance. But they do not plan to maintain the memory of the latest history: it is not legalized. Activists who came to public hearings in order to discuss the preservation of the memorial to Boris Nemtsov have advised to first resolve this issue at the legislative level. And in general, do not raise political topics at a meeting regarding purely technical problems with the bridge.

And the flowers, as the president said, let them lie down so

-We immediately turn into politics into politics, and I will answer as the leader of the "hormost" if something collapses there or falls over. And I am responsible for cleaning and the maintenance of the bridge as a leader. Therefore, I have a regulation that says twice a day to remove and restore order on the bridge. So it will be. And the flowers, as the president said, let them lie so, - obviously not glad to this topic at public hearings, the head of the GBU "Hormost" Yuri Ivankov .

A noise rose in the hall, because the employees of the Hormost regularly destroy the spontaneous memorial to Nemtsov, contrary to the words of the president. Ivankov hastened to add that only wilted flowers were supposedly removed, and fresh ones did not touch. In fact, the utilities disassemble and take out the memorial completely.

The bridge in any case will be repaired - this is the main conclusion of the public hearings. They plan to start work in May 2017, approximately after the parade in honor of Victory Day. They are supposed to finish them in fourteen months. Although initially the repair was designed for about three years. The plans were corrected so as not to impede the road traffic in the center for such a long period. But the fate of the Memorial Nemtsov “Hormost” is not particularly interested in: not their competence, not their problem. And the repair is planned for a long time.

The public hearings are completed, but their main task is to increase the level of trust between citizens and officials, to convince the public that the reconstruction for the sake of convenience and security of people, and not in the dubious interests of the authorities, could not fulfill them.

All misunderstandings occur due to distrust. No one believes this power, because everyone is lying

-The government should at least recognize the fact of the murder of Nemtsov on this bridge, somehow identify their attitude to this event. It is not bashful to clean the flowers every time, but somehow relate to this, not to try to pretend that there was no murder. After that, the Moscow authorities should honestly declare that yes, in the process of reconstruction, we will take into account the wishes of the people. It would also be necessary to say that they plans to reconstruct in advance. The main problem of our entire policy is its closeness. Even the fact that it was not said that major repairs are carried out in accordance with the decision of 2013. Publish this document, show that it was. Okay, we will believe you. Plus, take some steps to meet us. All misunderstandings occur due to distrust. No one believes in this power, because everyone lies. Do you ask me what the authorities should do? Stop lying, ”the architect Evgeny ACS offers steps to solving the problem.

***

The 100th anniversary of the October Revolution, the Big Moskvoretsky Bridge, apparently, will meet in construction forests. His historically established symbolic connection with the Kremlin will always cause the thought that all the actions of the authorities in this place are not accidental. People expect steps to meet the government. And, as public hearings showed, not so much explanation of the technical need for repair as a readiness to hear their wishes. Then the Big Moskvoretsky bridge would open a new page in its history - without a raid of the communist past.