New parking to appear in Kazan by Football World Cup

A four-storeyed underground parking will add 978 bays for cars to the city

In the nearest future, the capital of Tatarstan is going to have public parking in front of Kazan National Culture Centre. Considering the growth of tourist traffic and upcoming Football World Cup in 2018, the new parking bays will come in handy. More than half of the works on the construction site have already completed. But some nuances requiring attention arose during construction. Realnoe Vremya online newspaper studied the nuances of erecting the parking.

Underground parking's construction technology is similar to erection of metro

The decision to construct the parking was a matter of time, the flow of cars to Kazan daily grows, and the parking space is not just enough. Surface municipal parking for 228 bays did not cope with the number of cars. In the end, all the central streets next to Kazan National Culture Centre were full of transport. It was quite difficult to move at rush hour.

Officials of Tatarstan thought about substituting the fee-based surface parking in front of the National Culture Centre for big underground four-storeyed parking. A corresponding meeting with Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov took place in the spring 2014 when it was decided that TAIF PJSC would erect the parking. The multi-storeyed parking will be designed for 978 parking bays. It has being constructed since autumn 2016.

The fee-based surface parking in front of the National Culture Centre will be substituted for big underground four-storeyed parking

According to the project, the total area of the underground four-storeyed parking will be 52,590 square metres. Tatarstan doesn't have this kind of underground parking with storeys and capacity. Director of Construction and Complete Overhaul at TAIF PJSC Rinat Safin told Realnoe Vremya the facility is unique because it is underground. This is why they cared about the conservation of Khariyat stele before starting the construction and assembly works. It was strengthened by jet grouting piles.

Fixing metal piles on the perimeter of the future foundation pit was the second construction stage. ''The pit was dug by excavators on the four storeys at once: the ground from the pit was thrown to the other levels. 168,000 cubic metres of ground was dug. Strut rails looking like pipes with a diameter of up to 1,000 mm and 40 m of height were assembled,'' Rinat Safin specified.

The project of the new underground parking can be compared with the construction technology of metropolitan

Construction of underground parking is a meticulous job. The constructors spent about 4,500 tonnes of metal to fix metal piles around the foundation pit. The project of the new underground parking can be compared with the construction technology of the metropolitan. But the width of the bus stop shelter in the metro is 25 metres while that of the parking is equal to 40 metres (and 270 metres of length). This is why we can confidently say that the project of the Kazan parking is more complicated.

Tatinvestgrazhdanproyect designed the unique parking. Tatnefteprovodstroy is the contractor general. It is planned that it will be possible to wash a car in the parking. This is why automated car washing for 4 cars will open. There will be four lifts in the building looking out on the square, a bay for the disabled.

Automated parking payment system will work in the parking. The facility will be under the strict control of security workers, which is also unique because now municipal parking spaces are not protected. And jet ventilation system will provide a comfortable altitude and necessary intake of fresh air and smoke extraction in the parking. Such an extractor hood is popular abroad but will be used in the parking of Kazan for the first time. The underground parking will become safer with such ventilation. Electric heating of ramps at the entrance and exit of cars will prevent from icing in winter.

New road to free the centre of Kazan

Today the construction is keeping to schedule. 55% of the total amount of job was done. Everything is done to prepare the parking by the kick-off of the Football World Cup. The parking is expected to host the first car owners in May 2018. This is why officials of the republic pay a lot of attention to the construction course.

The first car owners will be able to use the new parking in May 2018

In June, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov and Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin visited the parking. During the visit, they raised a question on how to free roads near the National Culture Centre at rush hours. So people will be able to avoid traffic jams in the city centre at rush hour and get their destination.

Contractors are interested in the outdoor improvement of the green zone of the parking. It will have an area of 19,000 square metres. It was decided to sow grass on 15,000 square metres and place eco-parking for 61 bays on the remaining territory. A viewing point on the right bank of the Kazanka River will be a gimmick of the parking. Pedestrian precincts will connect the square in front of the building of the Ministry of Finance and main entrance of Kazan National Culture Centre. Roads until the Fuchs Square will also be restored. So the new parking will not only free the city centre but add another place with a picturesque panorama to the tourist attractiveness of Kazan.

Ekaterina Gumarova, Alina Gubaidullina. Photo: Maksim Platonov