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Many bridges dominate St. Petersburg’s riverfront and their number is still growing, largely due to the city’s proximity to the sea. The very planning of the city was determined by its position at the mouth of the Neva River, which provides easy access to the Gulf of Finland, with its two arms. One of them was spanned in 1850 by remarkable engineering work, now named after Lieutenant Schmidt, (fig. 5.1), a hero of the 1905 revolution. Engineer S. Kerbedz and architect K. Brulov designed it. This is the oldest permanent bridge and the last one before the Neva flows into the gulf. At the beginning of the 20^th century, it appeared to be too narrow for traffic and impassable for navigation. In 1938, the bridge had to be dismantled and replaced with a wide seven-span structure designed by Professor G. Peredery. The total bridge span is 331 m, and its modern movable span let ocean vessels of 50-60 m in height sail up the Neva River. It was the first time that engineers had pioneered electric welding instead of riveting for such heavy metal structures.

The Liteiny Bridge was designed by engineer A. Struve and architect Ts. Cavos and spans the Neva River (fig. 5.1). Constructed in 1879 it was the first bridge to be installed with electrical lighting along its total length of 408 m. The old structure could not meet modern traffic demands, and its steel arches corroded. The reconstruction preserved its original form because steel girders were placed on the reconstructed piers in 1967. Its bascule leaf holds the world record for its dimensions and weight of 3, 225 tons, which can be lifted by powerful hydraulic devices within two minutes. The bridge has never been renamed and boasts highly artistic wrought iron railings adorned with Russian State Emblems.

One of the famous Neva bridges was built on the eve of the 100^th Anniversary of St. Petersburg’s foundation. The celebration was marked by the international competition for the best bridge design. The idea of a cantilever arch structure put forth by French engineers prevailed, and the Trinity Bridge was built nearby the Summer Garden in 1903. The Neva River is very wide at this place so the bridge with its gentle metal arches is rather long. Its total bridge span is 582 m and the bascule span allows for free shipping. The next competition was announced for the Palace Bridge construction close to St. Basil Pointer (fig. 5.1). The expert commission adopted a five-span structure with sculptural decoration in classical style, but the First World War cancelled that plan and the bridge designed by A. Pshenitsky was completed in strict monumental style in 1916. Its total length is 250 m, and the 57 m steel bascule span, directed towards the pale sky during the “white nights”, looks very romantic. It is part of St. Petersburg’s architecture.

It was no easy task to connect the soft riverbanks of the Neva River. However, innovative building technology provided suitable solutions. The Volodarsky Bridge (fig. 5.1) was designed by Professor G. Peredery and architect A. Nickolsky, and opened to traffic in 1936. Steel tubes filled with concrete were used as arch reinforcement and can resist great compression. The reinforced elements look as if they are entirely made of metal, and the concrete river piers are faced with granite. The bascule span mechanisms were installed inside the piers. The length of each of the two river spans, supported by slope arches, is 101 m. The arches have no wind bracing and the wind force is transmitted to suspenders and the bridge floor. The bascule, double-leaf middle span is made of metal. One of the characteristic features of the bridge piers is the absence of cutwaters.

The total length of St. Petersburg’s bridges is more than eleven kilometers, and the Alexander Nevsky Bridge is the longest and widest amongst them. Its overall length is more than 900 m including approaches, and the width is 35 m. The bridge was put into operation in 1965, and represents a typical engineering structure from the second half of the last century, looking strict and in harmony with its surroundings. The Big Okhta Bridge is of a through type. It was designed by engineer G. Krivoshein and opened to traffic in 1911. Its total bridge span is 355 m. N. Belelyubsky and G. Krivoshein designed the Finlandsky Railway Bridge. That through bridge was put into operation nearly a century ago, in 1911.

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