Floating across the bridge: the amazing aqueduct of the Moscow Canal

Every time we admire the engineering curiosities of Europe. But even in Russia there are enough amazing structures that are not inferior in originality to foreign ones. So, in the capital, on the section between locks No. 7 and No. 8 of the Moscow Canal, you can see a unique bridge. Ships do not pass under it, but directly on its surface.

(7 photos in total)

Source: novate.ru

A navigable bridge built on 42 km of the Moscow Canal in 1937.

The Moscow Canal began to be built back in 1932, when it was called the Volga — Moscow Canal. In order for the canal to pass through the section between the 7th and 8th locks without disturbing traffic on the Volokolamsk highway, it was decided to create an artificial embankment over the road and lay the canal over the bridge. The aqueduct built has been surprising residents and guests of the capital for almost 80 years.

Navigable bridge over the Volokolamsk highway.

From the very beginning, there were two one-way traffic lanes under the bridge. In 1944, tram lines and a pedestrian crossing were added to them. With each subsequent decade, the number of transport units only increased, so in 1972 another tunnel was laid under the aqueduct.

A yacht passing through the aqueduct over the Volokolamsk highway.

The complex of the transport intersection of the Volokolamsk highway.

In 2001, the passage under the navigable bridge underwent some more changes. Two more tunnels were built: two- and three-lane. To accomplish this task, the aqueduct was drained and the embankment was torn down.

The section of the Moscow Canal between locks No. 7 and No. 8.

Navigable bridge over the Volokolamsk highway.