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The President spoke with the builders and thanked the specialists who took part in the project.

The official opening ceremony concluded with a column of construction vehicles crossing the bridge.

The new bridge is more than two kilometres long and will form part of the high-speed Southwest Bypass motorway at Novosibirsk and link the Baikal and Chuisky Trakt federal motorways.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon.

I want to congratulate everyone on this wonderful event. As you know, Novosibirsk was long in need of a third bridge, and you all proved up to the task. 

We discussed the matter and took the decision back in 2008, started work in 2010, and now, a little more than four years later, we are opening this bridge, which is really a unique piece of infrastructure, not just for Russia but even on the global scale it is an excellent example and is certainly so for Russia. It has the world’s biggest arch at 380 metres and uses the latest technology. It is a big edifice – 5.5 kilometres counting the approach roads and with the bridge itself measuring 2.1 kilometres in length. 

Most important of all though was that people really needed this bridge. Novosibirsk will develop and this bridge’s construction was a much-needed and timely boost for the city’s economy. Housing construction will also go ahead more actively now. The bridge links two federal motorways and there is an additional road running to Tolmachevo Airport. Overall this a very important step in developing Siberia’s infrastructure.

I hope that everything has been done to the highest standards. Time will be the ultimate test, of course. We discussed just before the next steps needed to continue expanding the region’s infrastructure.

I congratulate you and wish you the very best and new achievements ahead. This is a great accomplishment. Thank you very much.

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