Residents: 'Akhtuba Bridge Won't Survive Winter' Without Repairs

In the Leninsky District of Volgograd Oblast, local residents continue their years-long struggle to preserve a pontoon bridge over the Akhtuba River. According to activist Lyubov Merkulova from the settlement of Kolobovka, the authorities, instead of a major restoration, are limited to patching holes with makeshift means.

«The bridge is in very bad condition now. It needs a very serious repair because it wasn»t done this summer. I went to the other side myself; sheets of metal are just sticking out, everything is torn off or removed,« Lyubov Merkulova says. »This year for the winter, they simply removed the «approach» [a metal sheet between the shore and the first pontoon of the bridge]. The thing is, last year they allegedly paid someone money to do the repair. No one did anything there. All the welding and seams came apart due to constant overloading. I think this bridge just won«t survive this year.»

Merkulova believes the repair last year was complicated by the lack of necessary equipment, specifically a generator.

«Repair is required because all the parts are old, and nothing new was purchased. Everything was patched up from what was available, old stuff. And there»s simply no money to buy anything because no one pays for the crossing. Last year they said there was no generator. In the end, a local entrepreneur provided a gasoline generator for the repair, and in return, he transported hay for free with KAMAZ trucks with two trailers. I remember how the bridge sagged under the terrible weight. Others also used the bridge for free «in their own way» on tractors. As for the claim that there are some tariffs, they are very low. A moped or motorcycle passes there for 10 rubles (less than $1 at current rates). Can you even imagine that?«

Committees of the Volgograd Oblast administration refused to comment, citing the municipal ownership of the structure and redirecting questions to local authorities. Head of Leninsky District Andrei Denisov briefly explained that the bridge is on the village«s balance sheet.

«The bridge is on the balance sheet of a municipal unitary enterprise, which belongs to the administration of Kolobovskoye rural settlement,» explained Andrei Denisov. «Each season, the municipal unitary enterprise, with the permission of the supervisory authority, installs the bridge and also repairs it to the best of its ability.»

«Kolobovskoye Peasant Farm» (a local agricultural enterprise), which, according to the resident, handles the bridge, recommended contacting the rural administration regarding ownership and operation.

«Well, first of all, the bridge is not operational. Our license for it has already expired. Secondly, it is issued to us for a specific term,» said director Irina Ryzhova. «The only thing I can tell you is that this bridge belongs to the administration and is transferred to us under a contract. It operates such that in the season, a calculation of the crossing cost is made, which is approved by the council of deputies. This is the prerogative of local self-government. At the moment, I have no relation to the pontoon.»

Settlement head Vyacheslav Borodovitsyn confirmed that the pontoon bridge is transitioning from the administration«s jurisdiction to the local farm and is not used in winter.

«Generally, it is installed only during the haymaking period. From December 1 to July 1, it does not function. Right now it is owned by the administration, and later it will be transferred to »Kolobovskoye Peasant Farm«,» the settlement head explained. «It is put into and taken out of operation according to a schedule we were permitted. Last year we didn»t remove it because there was little water, and so people just drove across for free. Right now it«s not working; I can»t say if it«s in good or bad condition. They just removed the »approaches« and that»s it; now it«s dangling on cables.»

Borodovitsyn also noted that all actions with the bridge are coordinated with deputies after bureaucratic procedures. He assured that the structure is repaired annually.

«By the end of each season, it obviously can wear out, so it»s removed for the winter. And in the period, around June 1 to July 31, it is repaired, and only then put into operation,« says Vladislav Borodovitsyn. »This is all controlled by special services; it«s not as simple as our people say. First, the Inspectorate for Small Vessels arrives and checks the technical condition of the pontoon. Then the tariff regulation committee submits a corresponding declaration with prices for the operation of the structure, it is approved, and only then does the bridge operate. With a corresponding toll.»

Recall that in the summer of 2021, residents of Leninsky District already demanded to preserve the only crossing over the Akhtuba. At that time, Lyubov Merkulova also stated that local authorities planned to sell the bridge for scrap metal, leaving the population without a route to the opposite bank.