The swing bridge in Nowakowo, built as part of the waterway connecting the Vistula Lagoon with the Gulf of Gdańsk, has successfully passed load tests. The tests took place in April, when the test rotation of the entire structure was also successfully carried out.
– Over 100-meter long new swing bridge in Nowakowo over the Elbląg River will certainly improve navigation, but also significantly improve road transport. The commissioning of the new bridge structure with the accompanying road infrastructure will allow for the next step, which will be the demolition of the existing crossing, which is a navigational obstacle, namely the pontoon bridge, and the completion of works related to the reconstruction of the shore in this area – says Dorota Słabek, Maritime Office in Gdynia, Head of the Environmental Impact Department of the Maritime Office in Gdynia.
The new bridge is a steel structure. In the middle, on the main support, there is a special bearing. The structure weighs over 650 tons. It is the longest (103 m) of the three swing bridges designed as part of the waterway. Currently, the Contractor is carrying out finishing works, the assembly joints and the adjustment of the rotary mechanism remain for corrosion protection.
– After the construction of the bridge, the problem with opening/closing the crossing in unfavorable weather conditions will disappear. A very important project here is also the construction of a 1.5 km county road, which will connect to the new swing bridge. Nowakowo, where the second stage of the investment is being implemented, as an island is currently connected to the mainland by a pontoon bridge, which is in a very poor technical condition. The new swing bridge will rotate around a vertical axis of rotation – i.e. it will be drawn, not drawn. It will significantly facilitate communication with Nowakowska Island. The bridge will be opened for commercial vessels at the request of the Harbour Master’s Office, a small crossing for vessels less than 5 m high will take place on an ongoing basis,” said Wiesław Piotrzkowskie, Director of the Maritime Office in Gdynia, Investor of the “Construction of a waterway connecting the Vistula Lagoon with the Gulf of Gdańsk”.
The construction of the bridge is one of the elements of the second stage of the “Construction of a waterway connecting the Vistula Lagoon with the Gulf of Gdańsk”. As part of this contract, a fairway on the Elbląg River is also being rebuilt on a section of about 10.4 km. The goal is to achieve a width of 60 m on the river, and 40 m in the area of Nowakowo (measured at the bottom). The banks along the Elbląg River are enclosed with a hydrotechnical structure up to the elevation of +2.5 m (on sections where the embankments are being rebuilt). The shores are reinforced in the form of a sheet pile wall, topped with a reinforced concrete cap, and the fairway is secured with an underwater slope. In addition, in order to facilitate access to the river, 2 low marinas are being built at the elevation of +1.2 m along with a slipway for launching vessels.
– We are finishing the development of the area around the facility. The progress of works on the edge support is 80%. At the moment, we have made the enclosures at the very beginning of the investment, as well as at the very end, while 20% in the middle is still to be completed. We also have dredging works to be carried out on a section of 3.8 km from the beginning of the Lagoon upstream of the Elbląg River. At the moment, these works are not being carried out due to the provisions of the environmental decision, because we have to protect the spawning fish. These works will resume in September. The main challenge is already behind us. It was to mobilize the staff to build 15 km of bank support. Previously, we carried out 1.5 km of 1.5 km for 2 years, and here we have 15 km of shore support to complete for 2.5 years, so this is a huge amount and a very big challenge for many subcontractors. We also had sections that were built in the middle of the existing Elbląg riverbed. At the moment, 350 people are working on the construction site. During the peak period, 30 vessels were operating – reports Grzegorz Małasiewicz, contract director and site manager at Budimex SA.
Work on the second stage began in April 2021.
The first part of the construction of the twenty-three-kilometre-long waterway connecting the Vistula Lagoon with the Gulf of Gdańsk, completed in September 2022 on the Vistula Spit, as well as its second stage, is not the end of the entire investment. As part of the third stage, the dredging of the fairway on the Vistula Lagoon at a length of 8200 m has already been practically completed. Currently, new navigational markings are being issued as part of it.
