In 1905-1907, Andreevsky Bridge was built in Luzhniki by the project of architects L. Proskuryakov and A. Pomerantsev.
It was built on the thirty-fifth kilometer of the ring road, planned as a railway crossing.
At first, this bridge was named Sergievsky, in honor of Prince Sergei, the governor of Moscow, who was killed, and already in the early 20s of the last century, it was renamed in honor of St. Andrew's Church, located nearby.
Andreevsky Bridge served in its place for almost a century, during which time it was repeatedly repaired and rebuilt, but in the late 90s it ceased to meet safety requirements.
In the late 90s, the capacity of this bridge dropped sharply, and the speed of the trains was limited. In addition, the Andreevsky Bridge interfered with the electrification of railways, which, in turn, slowed down the reconstruction of the entire highway.
Moscow needed a different, new bridge, and it was clear to everyone, but they decided to keep the old one as a model of architecture and a monument of engineering art.
Its central arch, weighing one and a half thousand tons, was removed from its supports and moved downstream to Gorky Park. The preparation of this process took elevenmonths. For 8 days, the passage (Moskva River) was blocked for ships, although the towing itself took only two hours.
In the old place, it was decided to build two new ones: a road bridge and a railway one. The builders had to lengthen the Andreevsky Bridge: the Moscow River in this meta exceeded the width of the bridge span by 90 meters. Therefore, two reinforced concrete arched spans were added.
From the side of Neskuchny Garden, a 200-meter flyover was completed, stretching from Lenin Avenue to Pushkinskaya Embankment, and on the other side, from Frunzenskaya, a covered lobby was built, turning into an escalator gallery.
A monument of engineering art and architecture, Andreevsky Bridge, although partially, has been preserved. And now, on this renovated crossing, you can see a century-old openwork arch stretching for 140 meters, stone pillars with "bumps" and coastal spans.
The pre-revolutionary and new parts of this structure are painted in different colors and contrast favorably.
St. Andrew's Bridge from a distance is somewhat reminiscent of a large steamship, on which you can walk both on the open deck and under a glass canopy. One thing is sad on this ship - there is not a single bench along its entire length, so you have to stand to admire the surrounding panorama of Moscow.
There is something to see from the Andreevsky Bridge: a majestic view of the Cathedral of Christ, almost all the towers of the Kremlin, many high-rise buildings, a look upstream immediately stops at the Andreevsky Monastery, Moscow State University and the new building of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The Shukhov Tower is visible in the alignment of this unique bridge.
Today, Andreevsky Bridge, its pedestrian part, has become a favorite meeting place for Moscow's creative youth. A huge number of tourists come here, especially in the evenings. Those who have seen the bridge in the light of night lights unanimously say that it looks unforgettable.
