Lefortovo tunnel- the longest such structure in Moscow and the fifth longest in all of Europe. It is located under the Yauza River in the historical district of the capital, in Lefortovo. Length of the Lefortovo tunnel is 3.2 kilometers, if you measure that “thread” that runs at depth.

History of the tunnel in Lefortovo

The idea to build this facility arose back in 1935. But due to a number of circumstances, construction began only in 1959. Moreover, only a quarter of a century later the Rusakovskaya and Savelovskaya overpasses and the Avtozavodskoy bridge were completed.

Afterwards, construction was frozen for another 13 years due to disputes over whether it was possible to build a tunnel under the Lefortovo estate park. Work resumed in 1997, and six years later the first cars drove here. Length of the Lefortovo tunnel, if we take only the underground part, is 2.2 km.

Lefortovo tunnel of death: bad reputation

The Lefortovo tunnel is a real miracle of engineering. He:

• equipped with the most modern safety equipment;
• fire detection systems;
• fire extinguishing, water and smoke removal systems;
• exits for emergency evacuation of people.

All systems are controlled automatically, there are also surveillance cameras, but what is paradoxical is accident in the Lefortovo tunnel happen regularly, for which it has earned the second name “tunnel of death.” There are terrible mystical rumors about it - they say that cars in this tunnel behave strangely, they are thrown from side to side, drivers also talk about ghost cars.

At the same time, traffic police officers, facility maintenance personnel, and psychologists claim the opposite - according to them, the problem lies in claustrophobia. They are sure that many people, when driving inside the tunnel, are simply afraid to slow down, and then, in order to get through the confined space, they increase their speed, which provokes accidents.

The second dangerous factor is interference in the operation of car audio systems when entering the tunnel. Because of this, drivers lose their vigilance. The indiscipline of some motorists, recklessness, and so on also affects it. According to the dispatchers of the Lefortovo tunnel, more than 20 thousand traffic violations are recorded here every day! And this despite the fact that the width of the tunnel is only fourteen meters, so there is no room for maneuvers. The maximum speed allowed at this facility is sixty kilometers per hour.

Lefortovo Tunnel of Death (two or three cars crash here every day, and workers change the facing panels every week.) is a car tunnel in the north-east of Moscow. It is part of the Third Transport Ring (TTK). At about 3.2 km long, it is the fifth longest urban tunnel in Europe. The tunnel passes under the Yauza River and Lefortovo Park. The tunnel has three lanes in the north direction (outer side of the TTK) and four in the south (inner side of the TTK) direction, the width of one lane is 3.5 m. The leftmost lane is 32 cm smaller than the others. The average traffic intensity in the tunnel is 3. 8 thousand cars per hour, during peak hours this value increases to 7-8 thousand cars per hour.

The tunnel is equipped with the most modern systems: ventilation, lighting, water removal, gas level measurement, fire safety system and smoke removal system, video surveillance and communication systems. Utilities are managed at the central control center.

“The human psyche is to blame for everything,” psychologists say. “The experience of organizing traffic in the Lefortovo Tunnel has shown that many drivers are afraid to slow down when entering the tunnel. But inside, on the contrary, they exceed the speed limit in order to quickly get through a confined space. Hence the accidents!”

Gormost specialists do not agree with the scientists. They are confident that the cause of accidents in the tunnel lies not in the depths of the psyche, but in the banal indiscipline of drivers. Dispatchers monitor what is happening in all three Lefortovo tunnels around the clock. The officers on duty are accustomed to the fact that the instruments show constant speeding at night. The absolute record so far is 236 km/h.

Such reckless drivers often become the culprits of road accidents. In the capital's tunnels, accidents are recorded almost every day. As a result, not only the driver and his car, but also the tunnel itself are seriously damaged. Repairs to the facing part of the structure are carried out only at night. The installers admit that the work is not difficult, but very dangerous.

The tunnel administration is accused of design flaws. Like, cars crash into the sidewalk near the wall. And if there was a bump stop in front of them, the blow would have been tangential. But there is no bump stop, and upon impact the car literally sticks to the concrete.

This sidewalk is required for personnel and evacuation purposes. It cannot be higher than the required 18 cm. Otherwise, it will be impossible to open the doors of a car involved in an accident.

In one of the videos, the car begins to change lanes, the other does not have time to brake - and both go to the right. There is no bump stop, and in a frontal impact the car literally crashes into the concrete. People don't survive such accidents.

Another design solution of the tunnel also increases the risk of accidents - during construction, the left lane was narrowed.

The passing lane is 3 meters 25 cm, while the two right lanes are 3 meters 50 cm each. This is due to the fact that the diameter of the tunnel is only 14 meters. Therefore, all drivers driving in the leftmost lane should be especially careful.



The length of the Third Transport Ring is 35.6 km, of which 12 km are overpasses, overpasses, tunnels and bridges. Plans for its construction go back to 1935. The project began in 1959, but by 1984 only the Rusakovskaya and Savelovskaya overpasses, as well as the Avtozavodsky bridge, had been built. Long discussions related to the passage of the highway through the territory of the historical Lefortovo district froze construction until 1997. The Moscow government revived the project, entrusting its implementation to the Transstroy Corporation, which won the design and construction competitions. In the shortest possible time, such complex technical objects as the Berezhkovsky Bridge, the UEFA overpass, Andreevsky Bridges, the Kutuzovsky and Gagarinsky tunnels, the Tula, Volgograd and Nizhny Novgorod overpasses were built. The Lefortovo tunnel complex became the last and most complex element of the ring. This is a unique transport facility with a length of more than 3 km, which connected Prolomnaya Zastava Square and Spartak Square, becoming a symbol of innovation and technical progress.

The complex consists of a 2800 m long deep tunnel for vehicle traffic in one direction and a combined tunnel-overpass solution in the other direction. Laying a deep tunnel is a technically complex engineering task, the likes of which have never existed in Russia. To implement it, a German panel tunnel boring complex, more like an automated factory on wheels, was purchased, and personnel were trained and trained. The technical customer of the construction, Organizator LLC, set up a production line for the production of high-precision waterproof concrete tubes weighing 18 tons, 0.7 m thick on the basis of Mospromzhelezobeton JSC, from which the tunnel arches were assembled. It took a little more than a year to overcome the given path. Average the speed of the shield was 8 m per day. The implementation of this project became possible only thanks to the well-coordinated work of builders, installers, designers, and scientists.

Project of the year

For Schneider Electric JSC, this project was indicative not only in terms of the volume of equipment supplied - and this included more than a hundred 10 kV SM6 and RM6 distribution cells, Trihal dry distribution transformers, thousands of low voltage components, 0.4 kV Prisma type distribution boards, equipment automation. Since the construction of the Lefortovo tunnels was carried out in record time, JSC Schneider Electric was also given strict time limits for the processing of orders and delivery of equipment. Only clear interaction and coordination with technical customers LLC "Organizator", NPO "Cosmos", corporation "Transstroy", design institute "Metrogiprotrans", contractors with the participation of "New Electric Company", LLC "Montazh Garant", etc. made it possible to fulfill the set goals tasks. Supervised installation and installation of equipment, consultations and technical assistance to partner companies had to be carried out on site, working in shifts, and before putting the facility into operation - even at night. The company successfully completed this task thanks to the highly professional work of a large team of employees of JSC Schneider Electric.

Lefortovo tunnel- automobile tunnel in the northeast of Moscow. It is part of the third transport ring. Length is about 2.2 km, it is the fifth longest urban tunnel in Europe. The tunnel passes under the Yauza River and Lefortovo Park. The tunnel has three lanes in each direction, the width of one lane is 3.5 m. The average traffic intensity in the tunnel is 3.8 thousand cars per hour, during peak hours this value increases to 7-8 thousand cars per hour.

The tunnel consists of two “strings” of tunnels, one of which is deep (~30 m) with a length of 3246 m for vehicle traffic in one direction and a combined tunnel-overpass solution in the other direction. The following systems are installed in the tunnel:

Lefortovo tunnel In Moscow, motorists and traffic police officers have long called it the “tunnel of death.” This part of the capital's Third Transport Ring breaks all records for the number of accidents with casualties.

The idea of ​​constructing the Lefortovo tunnel arose back in 1935. In those days, it was not customary to shelve ambitious plans, but some obstacles constantly arose on the way to the implementation of this particular project. As a result, construction began only in 1959, but 25 years later only the Rusakovskaya and Savelovskaya overpasses, as well as the Avtozavodsky Bridge, were completed - there was no sign of rapid progress here.

Then heated discussions began over the passage of the highway under the Lefortovo estate park, which froze construction for another 13 years. It came to life again only in 1997, and in December 2003 the first cars dived into the dark mouth of the underground road. Since then, according to statistics, at least two or three cars crash here every day.

Chronicle of disasters

The ill-fated tunnel, the fifth longest in Europe, is a true engineering marvel. It is equipped with the most modern safety equipment, including fire detection, fire extinguishing, water and smoke removal systems, and exits for emergency evacuation of people.

Everything works automatically and is controlled from a single control panel. Of course, there are also CCTV cameras. It was thanks to round-the-clock filming that it became clear: the numerous car accidents occurring underground are completely inexplicable from a rational point of view.

Take the “dancing” bus, for example. It's as if an invisible monstrous force is throwing him from side to side, forcing him to hit the walls of the tunnel, while other cars try to avoid a collision. The driver can normalize the movement only when leaving the dungeon. The footage is shocking, where the ambulance, for no reason at all, begins to circle and toss on a smooth road surface, as a result of which the patient falls out of the car at full speed.

No matter how many times you watch these recordings posted on the Internet, it remains a mystery why cars suddenly suddenly change direction and crash into concrete walls at speed. But they recorded flying trucks, “winged” cars, and “Gazelle” ghosts.

Just look at the footage of a truck flying out of the tunnel wall straight towards a heavy truck! What is actually happening in the Lefortovo tunnel, what forces are hostile to humans and why did they organize a manhunt there?

Dark and scary

The drivers who survived the cycle of the “tunnel of death” conscientiously share their impressions and experiences. Most are sure: it’s better not to meddle in Lefortovo, and if possible, then follow a different, albeit longer, but safer route to your destination. Believe it or not, in most cases they consider ghosts to be the culprits of terrible road accidents.

There is a lot of evidence of how, in the middle of an underground road, human figures woven from dense white fog suddenly appear in the light of headlights, forcing drivers to brake sharply or try to go around them. In the confined space of a tunnel, any such maneuver entails loss of control and a collision either with the gloomy arches of the freeway or with other road users. At the same time, motorists say, the road itself becomes slippery like ice or there is a feeling that it completely disappears from under the wheels and you seem to be hanging in a muddy haze without any landmarks.

Ghost cars are also frequent guests in the Lefortovo Tunnel. They suddenly appear on the road, usually rushing at high speed. Outwardly, these monsters look quite ordinary, although the seat behind the wheel is often empty. Drivers whose path they block have to dodge, brake and change lanes, which inevitably leads to another tragedy. After all, trying to get out of a difficult situation, they arrange an emergency braking test for those who were driving behind. In general, workers have to change the cladding panels of the tunnel walls every week.

The most curious thing is that the “troop” of ghost cars seems to have a habit of being replenished by new victims of accidents. Thus, Moscow driver Pavel T. once witnessed a terrible accident in the Lefortovo tunnel. Finding himself one of the first near the overturned car, he helped remove the body of a man from the crumpled interior, who died in front of his eyes a few minutes later.

Six months later, while driving through Lefortovo underground, Pavel saw the same blue Opel, which was again driven by the man who died in the accident. He managed to see the fur collar of the driver's jacket, although now it was summer outside, and even the blood flowing down his temple. The shocked man miraculously managed to maintain control. Not remembering himself from fear, he left the disastrous tunnel at breakneck speed, for which he later paid a hefty fine.

No mysticism!

The terrible stories of the Lefortovo tunnel, supported by documentary footage from the video surveillance system, created an unenviable reputation for it, which material scientists, traffic police officers, as well as the facility’s maintenance personnel could not help but oppose.

The human psyche is to blame for everything, psychologists categorically say. Research among traffic participants in the Lefortovo tunnel (as well as in other underground highways of similar length) showed that many are afraid to slow down when driving inside. And then they exceed the speed in order to quickly get through a confined space. Hence the accidents. That is, the problem is hidden in more or less obvious symptoms of claustrophobia.

Another person accused of mass clouding the minds of drivers in the tunnel is... music. Upon entry, the audio system “explodes” with a deafening roar of interference. Drivers are distracted by the radio, while the situation on the highway requires their increased attention and quick response. One wrong move and the car is thrown to the side and turned against the flow. At the same time, there is nowhere for cars following to turn, because the width of the tunnel is only 14 meters.

Gormost specialists are also prosaic. The cause of all misfortunes, in their opinion, is the lack of discipline of drivers who exceed the speed limit, as well as a tendency to recklessness combined with inattention. And this is in conditions when the average traffic intensity in the tunnel is about four thousand cars per hour, and during rush hours this value increases to seven to eight thousand.

According to the rules, the speed inside the Lefortovo tunnel should not exceed 60 km/h. Note that the total length of the underground route is 2.2 kilometers, which means that the average time for a car to travel this distance is 2-2.5 minutes. It would seem, why not be vigilant? However, according to dispatchers of the longest tunnel in Moscow, about twenty thousand violations of traffic rules are recorded here every day!

And yet, are all these theories and statistics able to refute the notoriety of the damned tunnel? Quite the opposite!

Funnel of fear

Most people driving through a tunnel experience a strong feeling of discomfort. Some complain of attacks of headache and nausea, others - of a sudden feeling of anxiety, danger, and inexplicable panic. This forces those who are driving to unconsciously press on the gas in order to quickly leave the cursed zone.

At such moments, the thought of a cemetery that is located not far from an underground highway often arises, and the slightest shadows with light reflections on the windshield deprive the remnants of self-control.

And what could be more dangerous when a person is driving a speeding car? So what is it? Just the eternal fear of death or a warning from the other world, into which we have invaded by constructing the Lefortovo tunnel at a depth of 30 meters underground?

Psychics and parapsychologists unanimously claim that the highway is laid in a zone of anomalous activity, characteristic of places popularly called lost. Enthusiasts' devices detect strong magnetic disturbances here, and even real storms of destructive energies. If stories about bony hands hitting the side windows and black fogs obscuring the view can be attributed to a wild imagination, then what about the fact that at night the brakes often inexplicably fail here and the engines stall?

Drivers forced to stop find themselves in a concrete trap, thoroughly saturated with fear. And only the next car, whether it passes by or stops to provide assistance, “pulls” the poor fellows out of unknown trouble.

Another interesting phenomenon of the Lefortovo tunnel indicates that its ghosts keep up with the times. While rushing inside the underground highway, drivers and passengers often receive “blank” SMS from unknown numbers. If you call them back later, it turns out that the strange subscriber is “not registered on the network.” Perhaps, however, “he” is not registered in the networks of our world. But what do we have to do with it?

Reluctant psychic

It is known that the Lefortovo tunnel stands on a fault in the soil and passes under the Yauza River. According to a number of experts, this creates a kind of natural collapse inside the dungeon, generating energy chaos. The consciousness of a person rushing through such an anomaly turns out to be disoriented. At the physiological level, this manifests itself in the form of dizziness and inexplicable fear.

“When we reached approximately the middle of the tunnel,” Muscovite Anna T. wrote in one of her blogs, “my ears were very blocked, everything swam, the walls began to press. It seemed that the tunnel had narrowed, and a panicky fear came over me, as if something terrible was about to happen. When we left the tunnel, literally within a minute the terrible state dissipated.”

Here, I must admit, the girl was lucky. Could be worse. In conditions of destabilization of brain functions, any little thing is enough for the psyche to enter an altered state and begin to perceive signals with a shift in time and space.

The mentioned “trifle” could well be, for example, a tunnel lighting system. When entering, peripheral vision reacts to the flickering of light points on the dark wall cladding (in most other tunnels the background is light), the rapid alternation of black and light stripes is reflected on the hood and windshield, glare dances on the metal parts of the dashboard. Further, everything depends on the individual sensitivity of people.

You can fall into a hypnotic trance with a side “peeping” into the nearest pockets of time: seeing long-destroyed cars with dead people at the wheel, ordinary cars driving in the same place yesterday or a week ago, etc. Or find yourself between parallel worlds, existing simultaneously in two or more realities for several moments.

Then one wrong move and the car crashes into the concrete wall of the tunnel at full speed. Anything is possible. The mystery of the Lefortovo tunnel has not yet been solved. And experienced motorists prefer to take a bypass route.

And Lefortovo Park. The tunnel has three lanes in the north direction (outer side of the TTK) and four in the south (inner side of the TTK) direction, the width of one lane is 3.5 m. The leftmost lane is 32 cm narrower than the others.

Lefortovo tunnel
Application area	automotive
Runs under	Yauza And Lefortovo Park
Place	Moscow
Type	deep
Design	one is a deep tunnel, the second is a combination of a tunnel and an overpass
total length	3246 m
opening date

The tunnel consists of two "threads", one of which lies at a depth of about 30 m and has a length of 3246 m for traffic in one direction, and the other is a combination of a tunnel and an overpass for traffic in the other direction. The following systems are installed in the tunnel: ventilation, lighting, water removal, gas level measurement, fire safety system and smoke removal system, video surveillance and communication systems. Utilities are managed at the central control center.

Project selection

The Lefortovo tunnel was the last, closing section of the Third Transport Ring in Moscow. The customer decided to build a tunnel using the closed panel tunneling method. In the Moscow government, the project was approved by Deputy Prime Minister of the Moscow government Boris Nikolsky, who was in charge of the entire city infrastructure at that moment. For tunneling, a special tunneling shield was purchased - a specialized tunnel boring complex (TPMK) from Herrenknecht (Germany) with a diameter of 14.2 meters. Since the use of complex technology for large-diameter shield penetration sharply narrowed the circle of applicants for the construction of an expensive section of the Third Transport Ring, large construction companies launched a campaign aimed at discrediting the project. The media announced the deliberately inflated, gigantic cost of the project at that time - $1.5 billion. There was no documentary evidence of such a gigantic cost at that time - the project and estimate had not yet been submitted for examination.

The main opponent of the project was the adviser to the mayor of Moscow and general director of the construction company Ingeocom Mikhail Rudyak, who, together with the head of Moscow State Expertise Anatoly Voronin, proposed another method of constructing a tunnel - an open one, which should have cost $550 million and would have been less technically complex. Transstroy Corporation OJSC also got involved in the dispute, proposing a completely radical change to the project - replacing the tunnel with an overpass. The mayor of Moscow entrusted his Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Resin with making the final decision. Vladimir Resin took into account the need to preserve the Lefortovo protected area and its architectural monuments, which was not provided by either a shallow tunnel or an overpass option