Villagers near Volgograd plead to save deteriorating Akhtuba bridge

In the Leninsky District of Volgograd Region, local residents have been fighting for years to save one of the few bridges over the Akhtuba River. According to Lyubov Merkulova, an activist from the settlement of Kolobovka, officials prefer to simply patch holes with whatever comes to hand instead of carrying out a major overhaul. We learned about the fate and urgent problems of the pontoon structure, which they already tried to demolish with a big scandal.

Seams and welds have split open

Now the bridge is in very poor condition. A serious repair is needed because it wasn«t done this summer. I myself went to the other side, where metal sheets are just sticking out, everything is torn off or removed,— says Lyubov Merkulova. — This year for winter, they simply removed the »approach« (a metal sheet between the bank and the first pontoon of the bridge. — Ed.). The thing is, last year they supposedly paid someone money and did repairs. No one did anything there. All the welding and seams came apart due to constant overloading. I think this bridge simply won»t survive this year.

In the woman«s opinion, last year»s pontoon repair was complicated by the lack of equipment and, in particular, a generator.

Repairs are needed because all parts are old, and nothing new has been purchased. Everything was patched with whatever was available, old stuff. And there«s simply nothing to buy with because no one pays for passage. Last year they said there was no generator. In the end, a local entrepreneur provided a petrol generator for the repair, and in return, he transported hay for free with KAMAZ trucks and two trailers. I remember how the bridge sagged under terrible weight. Others also rode on tractors for free »in their own way«. That some tariffs are set, they are very understated. Mopeds or motorcycles pass through for 10 rubles (approximately $0.10 at current rates). Can you even imagine that?

All questions to the village administration

Committees of the Volgograd Region administration declined to comment, explaining that the bridge is municipal property and redirected all questions to local officials. The administration of Leninsky District succinctly clarified that the bridge is village property.

The bridge is on the balance sheet of the municipal unitary enterprise (MUP), which is under the administration of Kolobovskoye Rural Settlement,— explained the administration. — Each season, the MUP installs the bridge with the permission of the controlling authority and repairs it to the best of its ability.

At Kolobovskoye Peasant Farm, where, according to the resident, they deal with the bridge, they advised to ask all questions about the pontoon«s ownership and operation to the village administration itself:

Well, first of all, the bridge isn«t operational. Our license for it has already expired. Secondly, it is issued to us for a certain period,— 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 works such that in the season, the cost of passage is calculated, 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.

There is an established procedure. Everything is controlled

Settlement head Vyacheslav Borodovitsyn confirmed that the pontoon bridge is transitioning from the management of officials to the local farm. However, in winter, it is not possible to drive on the structure.

Generally, it stands only during the haymaking period. From December 1 to July 1, it does not function. Now it is owned by the administration, and later it will be transferred to Kolobovskoye Peasant Farm,— explained the settlement head. — It is put into and taken out of operation according to a schedule that we are permitted. Last year we didn«t remove it because there was little water, and so people just rode on it. Now it isn»t 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.

Nevertheless, as the head explained, any actions around the pontoon are coordinated with deputies after a series of bureaucratic hurdles. One way or another, Mr. Borodovitsyn assures: everything is repaired annually.

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

Earlier we wrote how back in the summer of 2021 in the Leninsky District of Volgograd Region residents demanded to save from officials the only crossing over the Akhtuba River. One of the residents of the village of Kolobovka, as well as former deputy prosecutor Lyubov Merkulova, also claimed that local authorities want to sell the structure for scrap metal, leaving villagers without the only route to the other bank.