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St. Petersburg drawbridge season draws to a close

The drawbridges in Russia’s second largest city were opened more than 2,300 times from April 10

Palace Bridge in St. Petersburg Peter Kovalev/TASS

Palace Bridge in St. Petersburg

© Peter Kovalev/TASS

ST. PETERSBURG, November 30. /TASS/. The navigation on the Neva River, the main waterway in St. Petersburg, ended on Thursday, drawing to a close the drawbridge season.

"Today, the drawbridges will be opened up for the last time on schedule," Andrei Kochin, deputy head of the city’s bridge operating company, told reporters.

He said that bridges could be opened later if the company received special requests.

Read also

St. Petersburg expects more than 7 mln tourists in 2017

In all, the drawbridges in Russia’s second largest city were opened more than 2,300 times from April 10 to let some 3,300 vessels pass up and down the Neva River.

The iconic Palace Bridge, which spectacular opening draws crowds of tourists on summer nights, was drawn for 421 times.

The navigation on the city’s smaller waterways, including the Moika and Fontanka rivers and the Griboyedov canal, was closed on November 16.

According to Yevgeny Zubarev, the president of the Association of Owners of St. Petersburg Passenger Ships, more than 1.5 million passengers traveled along the city’s waterways during the 2017 navigation season.

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