Authorities set exact date for Novokuznetsk tunnel repair

The emergency tunnel at the entrance to Novoilinsky District in Novokuznetsk will be repaired no later than autumn 2026. Mayor Denis Ilyin announced this on his social media pages, citing the contractor.

According to the mayor, restoration of the structure is proceeding on schedule. As of early February, the contractor had completed 45% of the total work volume.

Specialists cannot yet perform some necessary measures at the site because heating networks pass through the tunnel. They will not be touched until the end of the heating season, and then will be temporarily relocated.

«In the near plans are reinforcement, formwork installation, foundation construction with simultaneous waterproofing of the left side of the tunnel, as well as road soil assembly at the entrance and preparation of the site for excavation,» Ilyin said.

The mayor added that after repairs, the tunnel will have lighting, which it did not have before. Otherwise, in terms of structure and function, the facility will remain the same as before. It is planned to be completed by October 10, 2026.

As NGS42.RU reported, the tunnel at the intersection of Zapsobovtsev Avenue and Kosygina Street in Novokuznetsk was closed in March 2019 after cracks were found in its load-bearing structures. Subsequently, local residents repeatedly complained that it became more difficult to exit Novoilinsky District toward Tsentralny or Zavodskoy, as well as about traffic jams during rush hour.

Local authorities spent several years trying to find funding for the tunnel repair. In 2023, a tender for restoration of the structure worth 167.6 million rubles ($1,676,000 at current rates) was won by the Novosibirsk company Spetstransstroy. However, the contract was later terminated due to missed deadlines.

A second auction took place in autumn 2025. By that time, the cost of repairs had risen to 343.7 million rubles ($3,437,000 at current rates), and the winner of the tender was the company Kemerovospetsstroy.

Kemerovospetsstroy JSC has been operating since 1996. According to the Kontur.Focus service, as of 2024, the company reported revenue of 19.7 billion rubles ($197,000,000 at current rates) and net profit of 1.4 billion rubles ($14,000,000). The organization«s shareholders are listed as Alexander Vypritsky (25.1% stake), Leonid Kolchak (23.9%), Anatoly Chistyakov (17.8%), and Alexander Galushkin (13%). They are also co-owners of several other legal entities, including the bridge and tunnel construction company Stroitelnoye Upravleniye No. 7 LLC and the concrete products manufacturer Sibtsk LLC.