Dokovy Bridge

Characteristics

Located in Kronstadt, the Dokovy (Dock) Bridge spans the Canal of Peter the Great and is aligned with Makarovskaya Street.

The bridge is 36.18 meters long and 8.03 meters wide. It is a double-span metal bridge with stone abutments lined with granite.

It is a swing bridge. To swing the bridge open, the third pier at its eastern abutment is removed by jacking.  The opening is provided by turning the superstructure 90 degrees around the axis of the rotating gear.

History

The first wooden bridge across the Canal of Peter the Great existed since 1826. In 1856, a new steel crossing was built on its site.

The bridge was repaired numerous times but its structure and dimensions were kept unchanged. Over time, its swing span went out of service due to corrosion. However, until the late 1990s, the canal was used for its intended purpose and the Dokovy Bridge was opened using a wire rope cable.

In 2018–2019, the Dokovy Bridge underwent a thorough overhaul to the design developed by NPO RAND LLC.

More to know

The history of the Canal of Peter the Great dates back to the times of Peter I. The dock canal was designed for the repair of underwater parts of ships.

When traveling in Europe, Peter studied the set-up of Dutch and English docks where the problem was that pumping water out took a long time. The idea offered by Peter I was that the dock could be drained quickly by draining the water into a pool below the dock level.

The construction of the canal began in 1719 but Peter did not live to see its completion. The canal was opened in the presence of his granddaughter Empress Elizaveta Petrovna on July 30, 1752.

In 1774–1776, Russia’s first steam pump for water was installed on the bank of the canal. The unit was delivered from Scotland where it had been in service for more than 75 years.