In Gagarin, with a delay of a year, they reported on the repair of the highway leading to the city

In the city of Gagarin in the Smolensk region, where the first cosmonaut in history was born, the repair of the highway leading to the city was reported a year late. It was called the traffic jam road, the repair of the viaduct continued to drag on, and it blocked the entrance. Drivers considered other bridges to be an even greater risk. A correspondent of Izvestia told about the changes in the city on July 31.

The city administration did not want to see the Izvestia film crew or answer questions about solving problems with roads and bridges. It is specified that it is not easy to get to the birthplace of the first Russian cosmonaut Gagarin: it is necessary to pass through two main highways, Novorizhskoe highway and the Moscow—Minsk highway. From the M-1 through the settlements of Potapovo and Sergo-Ivanovskoye, and then the bridges over the Gzhat River, which are being completed in Gagarin with a delay of almost a year.

The viaduct at the entrance is Gagarin's main thoroughfare. It was promised to be completely renovated last year. The head of the municipality, Vladimir Grunin, personally kept this issue under control and promised to keep his promise.

"Our goal is to launch it by July," he said.

The reverse was launched at this place, traffic was partially opened, but the railway overpass was officially commissioned only a year later, while the opening of the viaduct would not completely solve the problem of transport accessibility, since the bridge on Lenin Street was next in the way. It has not been repaired since the last century.

It is noted that Grunin personally conducted a survey of this territory in the spring of 2024, but since then there have been no changes.

"There are no railings, do you see how a pedestrian can walk? They did it from the other side so that they wouldn't fall into the river, but under the car, please. It was being repaired, repaired, in my opinion, it's still here from the war," said one of the locals named Vasily.

The problem could be solved by bypassing another bridge on Novaya Street, but that one is also closed for reconstruction.

"We solved the problem here just like that: the completion date was simply changed from 2024 to 2025. At the same time, no major repairs are being carried out on the bridge itself along Novaya Street. No construction workers, no equipment, not even security guards," the correspondent explained.

The amount of the repair contract is almost 150 million. The contractor was found to be unscrupulous, but they continued to work with him in the administration. And only after an official letter from journalists to officials did the mayor come out to the film crew with new promises.

"There are no risks, we do not see any disruption by the end of the year, as planned, the bridge will be put into operation," Grunin stressed.

Gagarin's accessibility is important not only for local residents. Thousands of tourists come here in summer. There are museums in the cosmonaut's homeland, and in them there are artifacts of Yuri Gagarin's life, a unique story. Here you can touch the dishes from which the cosmonaut ate, see the table at which he sat, and also visit the room where he received guests.

The main exhibition of the museum is now closed. The cosmonaut's house is under reconstruction, which has also been delayed for two years.

The birthplace of the first cosmonaut could have long since glorified the name of Yuri Gagarin, but so far there is only reconstruction, contractors, delayed deadlines, and unfulfilled contracts. Bridges, roads, museums — all this is somewhere in the distant future on plans and projects, but today there is a mess and empty promises.

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On July 23, it was reported that the main street of St. Petersburg, Nevsky Prospekt, is being prepared for large-scale repairs, according to the plan, work should begin on August 3. According to the plan of the customers — the Committee for the Development of transport infrastructure and Mostotrest — structural elements and manholes of sewers on Nevsky Prospekt should be repaired. It is also planned to lay asphalt pavement and apply fresh markings.

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