Yumatovo Suspension Bridge

The Yumatovo suspension bridge is located in the Chishminsky district of Bashkortostan, near the village of Yumatovo and the settlement of Bochkaryovka, in the suburban area around Ufa. The pedestrian bridge spans the Dyoma River and connects Bochkaryovka with the village of Chernigovka, about 3 kilometers from the Yumatovo sanatorium. From the bank the whole structure is visible at once: the bridge hangs on long steel cables stretched between supports on both shores, while underfoot the crossing is a deck built from separate wooden planks.

History

According to one tourist portal, this bridge is called the longest suspension bridge in Russia built by a single person, without construction machinery or a work crew. Crossings like this one over the Dyoma have long helped residents of nearby villages avoid a long detour around the river.

Over its many years of use, the wooden deck and cables have repeatedly ended up in a dangerous condition. The current of the Dyoma carries debris and fallen trees to the supports, where they pile up under the deck, obstruct the flow and put extra load on the structure. Local media covered a case when the bridge in the Chishminsky district nearly collapsed into the river because of exactly such a jam of branches and debris; the incident drew the attention of both local authorities and residents of nearby villages.

Today

The bridge is now a popular spot for tourists and hikers exploring the area around Ufa, who come here to walk across the swaying wooden deck above the river and photograph the Dyoma floodplain. Its recognizable look — a long row of planks strung between two taut cables — also draws FPV drone pilots, who film flights over the river and the crossing itself; such videos of the bridge in Yumatovo can be found on video-sharing sites.

Getting there

The walking route along the bridge and its approaches is about 1 kilometer long. It starts at the edge of the village of Yumatovo, closer to the sanatorium, and ends near the village of Bochkaryovka on the opposite bank of the Dyoma. The place is best reached through the Chishminsky district; the nearest landmarks are the village of Yumatovo, the settlements of Bochkaryovka and Chernigovka, and the nearby Pionerskaya railway stop.