The Lefortovo tunnel, opened in 2003, is one of the most dangerous places in Moscow. 2-3 cars are crashed here per day, with frequent human casualties. Psychologists and traffic police inspectors give a variety of explanations for what is happening, including mystical ones.

The "Tunnel of Death", as it was called by the people, with a total length, with all entrances, is about 3.5 kilometers. Of these, about 2.2 lie deep underground. There are seven lanes in total: three northern and four southern. The tunnel is equipped with the latest technology: video surveillance cameras, loudspeaker and telephone communications, fire-fighting, ventilation and smoke control equipment. Exits for evacuation of people - every 90 meters, there is a gas level meter. Meanwhile, automation does not help to eliminate regular accidents. It happens that cars enter the oncoming lane, drivers lose control. All incidents are clearly recorded by surveillance cameras.

According to one version, the main culprit of what is happening is the psychological factor. Drivers are simply afraid of the closed space, there is a kind of massive bout of claustrophobia. The result is speeding. Night travelers are especially reckless.

Yakov Vovshin, head of the Gormost-Lefortovo section, says: “According to the rules, the speed inside the Lefortovo tunnel should not exceed 60 kilometers per hour. But few people follow it. Hence the accidents. With the help of video surveillance systems, we track offenders: those who are trying to change lanes and develop a speed higher than other road users. But in order to punish all violators at the entrances and exits, it would be necessary to constantly keep traffic police pickets there.”

However, is that the only thing? Many who happened to pass through the Lefortovo tunnel tell amazing things. Drivers admit that they are suddenly seized by indescribable fear, which, as it were, fetters their arms and legs. By a strange coincidence, the "Tunnel of Death" passes just above the place where the Lefortovo cemetery once was. So, what is it: an attack of claustrophobia or something much more terrible?

One of the witnesses, Vadim, a truck driver, told his horrific story. Once he had to stay late at night at work. We had to return through the Lefortovo tunnel. Even then, and this was in 2005, he was notorious. But Vadim considered himself an adult, who had long outlived children's fairy tales and horror stories. Well, since mysticism was not in his profile, lighting another cigarette, he entered the ill-fated tunnel.

There were no other cars, so the driver breathed freely - they say, he will reach without incident. However, he did not drive even a hundred meters, when his soul suddenly became somehow alarming. Arms and legs were numb, goosebumps ran down my body. Vadim panicked. He already regretted coming here at all. I wanted to get out quickly. But the tunnel did not end, although it seemed to go on for an eternity.

Vadim put out his cigarette a long time ago and, clutching the steering wheel with both hands, fidgeting uneasily in his seat, he concentratedly looked at the road. Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of his car. The driver slammed on the brakes. The truck stopped. But, looking closer, he realized that there was no one ahead. Smiling to himself and attributing everything to nerves, Vadim tried to start the car. However, he failed to do so.

The driver turned on the emergency lights and got out of the truck. For about five minutes, he opened the hood, trying to understand the cause of the breakdown. Suddenly he heard a strange hum, which grew stronger with every second.

“For some reason, it became insanely scary. I wanted to hide somewhere. But there was nowhere to hide. And the truck still wouldn't start. Finally, the hum was gone. I plucked up the courage to look in the direction from which it was coming, and saw a thick fog slowly advancing on me. And from the other side, the sounds of someone approaching footsteps and piercing groans were heard. The smell of decay hit my nose, nasty sweet and corrosive. My heart was thumping in my chest. It was scary like never before in my life. And the steps were getting closer, and the rumble was heard again, but from the same side as the steps.

I thought I wouldn't be able to leave alive. Tried to start the truck again and again. I don’t even know, probably it was a miracle - the engine finally started. I slammed the door. But where to go, what lies ahead? Looked around. Nothing could be seen in front of the car, but fog swirled in the rear-view mirrors, in which some incomprehensible substances floated. Then I heard someone drumming on the body and trying to open the cab door. And then a bony hand with dried skin appeared on the windshield. In a panic gave on gases. The hand was shaken off, and the car rushed forward, driving over something solid, ”Vadim says about that terrible night in the Lefortovo tunnel.

How he got out of there, Vadim does not remember. The panic was, he said, crazy. He came to his senses only when he was stopped by a traffic police officer for speeding. Vadim no longer travels through the "Tunnel of Death". However, the friends to whom he told his story and whom he asked not to travel through the Lefortovo Tunnel only chuckled and twisted their fingers at their temples.

And here is another witness of what is happening says: “I don’t like to drive through the Lefortovo tunnel. I read that many people feel sick there, some kind of anxiety is felt. There is some kind of constant hum, even in a dead traffic jam, even though you will drive along an empty road at 5 in the morning. Some say that all this is due to the fact that the New Blessed Cemetery was located on this site, plus the Vvedenskoye cemetery that is nearby. Moreover, the cemetery, as they say, is not easy, it has a strong energy. In particular, there is a tradition there, according to which notes are left on old German crypts with requests to the dead for help. No other cemetery has a similar tradition. Apparently, if the visitors, among whom this tradition was born, feel some influence of otherworldly forces, then it also affects the drivers.”

Today, only one thing is clear: the tunnel is indeed dangerous for people. Whether mysticism is involved in this or is it just a temporary mental disorder - time will tell. But there are fewer and fewer people who want to verify the authenticity of terrible stories.

Who is watching the traffic along one of the longest underground highways of the capital, what to do if the engine stalled in the tunnel, and are there ghosts in Lefortovo? the site went to one of the most mysterious "dungeons" of the capital.

3.2 kilometers of enclosed space at a depth of 30 meters under Lefortovsky Park, the Yauza river bed, roads and pedestrian crossings. Seven lanes - three in one direction and four in the other, on which every hour passes from 10 to 12 thousand cars. Dozens (if not hundreds) of ghost stories. All this is about the Lefortovo tunnel.

deep observation station

The Lefortovo tunnel imperceptibly closes the Third Ring Road underground. Cars dive into it not far from the Ugreshsky overpass and the Cossack Glory Park, and after a few minutes they emerge in the area of ​​Spartakovskaya Square.

Each of the cars - and about 50 million of them pass here every year - falls into the lenses of 355 surveillance cameras. The picture from them is displayed on more than 30 screens of the central control room, from where literally every meter of the tunnel is visible.

It will not be possible to accidentally get into a room with monitors, and not only because the control room is a secure facility. The fact is that it is located deep underground, behind an inconspicuous iron door at the end of a corridor with artificial lighting. In general, almost a secret bunker.

“We ensure the uninterrupted operation of the equipment in the tunnel, monitor the traffic, take part in the prevention of emergencies and their elimination,” Maxim Osipenko, an operator of automated control systems, tells about his duties.

Here the wires of all sensors installed in the tunnel converge, the screens display data on the state of fire-fighting systems, information on the level of air pollution and other necessary information. If something goes wrong, operators just need to press a few buttons and the alarm will go down the chain to the emergency services.

Human factor and no ghosts

Serious accidents in the tunnel did not happen for a very long time. According to the chief engineer of the Lefortovo section, Sergei Kulagin, on average, no more than two accidents occur here per day, which is quite comparable to the situation on land routes. And of course, there is nothing mystical in the clashes (fans of horror stories for some reason fell in love with the Lefortovo tunnel and call it nothing more than the tunnel of death).

“Accidents occur due to a banal lack of sleep, when it comes to evening time. If a collision occurs during the day, it is only due to the inattention of drivers. The traffic in the tunnel is dense, you have to be especially careful and not be distracted,” says Sergey Kulagin.

But not only accidents can stop traffic in a confined space - any, even the smallest emergency situation should be resolved here as quickly as possible.

“Each emergency exit has telephone sets that are in direct communication with the control room. Any driver, if something happens, can stop and ask for help,” says the head of the section.

As soon as the call is accepted, a tow truck will move from the surface to the stuck person: a fleet of special vehicles is on duty nearby. In five to seven minutes, the team will be at the site of the breakdown, the car will be taken outside so as not to create additional congestion. By the way, the Lefortovsky Tunnel evacuation service works absolutely free of charge.

Through the slip and the "tunnel of life"

The Lefortovo tunnel is also ready for more serious tests. Emergency phones are only part of the rescue complex, which is instantly activated if there is a major accident or fire.

Drivers or passengers passing through the tunnel noticed that the walls here are not solid: here and there steel doors are embedded in them. Of course, this is not a whim of the architects and not a game of the imagination. Every 100 meters there are emergency exits, but they do not lead up, but, on the contrary, below - to the security zone.

In fact, this is a tunnel under the tunnel - sheathed in concrete "dungeon of the second level." Those who will go down here from the roadway will ride on a special slide. In professional language, this metal chute, somewhat similar to an attraction in a water park, is called a slide.

Those descending from the control room need to be extremely careful: on the sixth flight you lose count, and the stairs do not end. According to the chief power engineer of the Lefortovo transport interchange, Ilya Bavin, the security zone is located more than 30 meters underground. The cold, dampness and noise of the roadway of the Lefortovsky tunnel above your head do not give a doubt about his words.

“This is a deep tunnel, the ceilings can withstand combustion temperatures of up to 1,500 degrees for three hours. That is, if there is a fire in the body of the tunnel, then people will be able to safely evacuate, going down the slide and then going out into the street, where they will be met by representatives of the operational services, ”says Ilya Bavin.

The system works simply: if there is a fire in the tunnel, an alarm is activated, and a pleasant female voice (at least that is how local experts describe it) asks drivers and passengers to leave the cars. Then the burning area is cut off from the rest of the tunnel with a wall of water straight from the ceiling.

Ilya Bavin does not believe in ghosts either: of course, one can feel uncomfortable in a confined space, but this effect is more psychological than mystical.

“Several years ago there was a story: a husband was taking his pregnant wife to the hospital and birth began right in the tunnel. An ambulance quickly arrived, the doctors began to help the woman while still in the car. So I would call it the “tunnel of life,” says Ilya Bavin and heads for the exit.

The Lefortovo tunnel in Moscow has long been called the "tunnel of death" by motorists and traffic police officers. This part of the Third Transport Ring of the capital beats all records in terms of the number of accidents with human casualties.

The idea of ​​building the Lefortovo Tunnel arose 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 after 25 years only the Rusakovskaya and Savelovskaya flyovers, as well as the Avtozavodsky bridge, were completed - there was no smell here at an accelerated pace.

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

The ill-fated tunnel - the fifth longest in Europe - is a real miracle of engineering. It is equipped with the most advanced security features, including fire detection, fire extinguishing, water and smoke removal systems, and emergency evacuation exits.

Everything works automatically and is controlled from a single dispatcher console. Of course, there are also security cameras. It was thanks to the round-the-clock shooting that it became clear that the numerous car accidents that occur underground are completely inexplicable from a rational point of view.

Take at least a "dancing" bus. It's like an unseen monstrous force is tossing him from side to side, forcing him to slam against the walls of the tunnel, while other cars try to avoid collision. The driver manages to normalize traffic only at the exit from the dungeon. The shots are shocking, where the ambulance for no reason begins to circle and throw up on a smooth roadbed, as a result of which the patient falls out of the car at full speed.

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

What are the shots with a truck that flew out of the tunnel wall straight towards a heavy truck! What is actually happening in the Lefortovo tunnel, what forces hostile to man and why did they hunt a man there?

Dark and scary

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 Lefortovsky, and if possible, then follow a different, albeit longer, but safe route to your destination. Believe it or not, but in most cases they consider ghosts to be the culprits of terrible accidents.

There are many testimonies of how in the middle of an underground road in the headlights, human figures woven from dense white fog suddenly appear, forcing drivers to brake sharply or try to bypass them. In the confined space of the tunnel, any such maneuver entails loss of control and a collision with either the gloomy vaults 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 hang in a muddy haze without any guidelines.

Frequent guests in the Lefortovo tunnel and ghost cars. 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 rebuild, 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, the lining panels of the tunnel walls have to be changed every week by the workers.

The most curious thing is that the "detachment" of auto-ghosts seems to have a habit of replenishing due to new victims of accidents. So, the Moscow driver Pavel T. once witnessed a terrible accident in the Lefortovo tunnel. Being one of the first next to the overturned car, he helped to remove the body of a man from the crumpled interior, who died before his eyes a few minutes later.

Six months later, while driving underground in Lefortovo, Pavel saw the same blue Opel, which was again driven by a man who had died in an accident. He had time to make out the fur collar of the driver's jacket, although now it was summer, and even the blood running down his temple. The shocked man miraculously managed to keep control. Beside himself with fear, he left the dead tunnel at breakneck speed, for which he later paid a decent fine.

No mysticism!

The terrible stories of the Lefortovo tunnel, backed up by documentary footage from the video surveillance system, created an unenviable reputation for it, which materialistic scientists, traffic police officers, and the maintenance personnel of the facility could not resist.

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

Another accused of mass clouding the minds of drivers in the tunnel is ... music. At the entrance, the operation of 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 throws to the side, turns against the flow. At the same time, the following cars have nowhere to turn, because the width of the tunnel is only 14 meters.

Gormost's specialists are also prosaic. The cause of all misfortunes, in their opinion, is the indiscipline 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 peak hours this value rises 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 it takes a car to cover this distance is 2–2.5 minutes. It would seem, why not be vigilant? However, according to the dispatchers of the longest tunnel in Moscow, about twenty thousand traffic violations are recorded here every day!

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

Funnel of fear

Most people experience a strong sense of discomfort while driving through a tunnel. Some complain of attacks of headache and nausea, others of a sudden feeling of anxiety, danger, inexplicable panic fear. This forces those behind the wheel to unconsciously step on the gas in order to quickly leave the cursed area.

At such moments, the thought often arises of a cemetery, which is located not far from the underground highway, 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? Is it just the eternal fear of death or a warning from the other world, into which we invaded, building the Lefortovo tunnel at a depth of 30 meters underground?

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

Drivers forced to stop find themselves trapped in a concrete trap, soaked through and through with fear. And only the next car, whether it passes by or stops to provide assistance, “pulls” the poor fellows out of an unknown disaster.

Another interesting phenomenon of the Lefortovo tunnel indicates that its ghosts keep up with the times. While speeding 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 are we doing here?

Reluctant psychic

It is known that the Lefortovo tunnel stands on a break in the soil and runs 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 is disoriented. At the level of physiology, this manifests itself in the form of dizziness, inexplicable fear.

“When we reached about the middle of the tunnel,” Muscovite Anna T. wrote in one of the blogs, “my ears were very blocked, everything floated, the walls began to crush. It seemed that the tunnel narrowed, and a panic fear rolled over me, as if something terrible was about to happen. When we left the tunnel, literally a minute later 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.

As the mentioned "little thing" is quite capable of acting, for example, the tunnel lighting system. At the entrance, peripheral vision reacts to the flashing of light points on the dark wall lining (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, it all depends on the individual sensitivity of people.

It is possible to fall into a hypnotic trance with a side "peep" into the nearest pockets of time: to see long-dead cars with the dead at the wheel, ordinary cars passing in the same place yesterday or a week ago, etc. Or find yourself between parallel worlds, existing for several moments simultaneously in two or more realities.

Then one wrong move and the car crashes into the concrete wall of the tunnel at full speed. Everything can be. The mystery of the Lefortovo tunnel has not yet been solved. And experienced motorists prefer to take a detour.

The Lefortovo tunnel is located in Moscow under the park of the same name and is an important component of the Third Ring Road. Among all urban tunnels in Europe, it ranks fifth in length. The length of the Lefortovo tunnel reaches 3.2 kilometers.

Story

For the first time, the Lefortovo Tunnel project appeared in 1935, but difficulties constantly arose on the way to the implementation of the project. As a result, work began only in 1959, but twenty-five years later, only two flyovers and a bridge were completed.

Due to disagreements regarding the passage of the highway under the famous Lefortovo city park, the construction site was frozen for another thirteen years. Certain changes took place in 1997, and only at the end of 2003 the tunnel was opened to traffic.

Peculiarities

The length of the Lefortovsky tunnel is 3246 meters. By design, it is a combination of two spaces. One lies at a depth of thirty meters and is intended for movement in one direction.

The second is a combination of a flyover and a tunnel for movement in the opposite direction. The internal part of the engineering structure is a combination of an overpass and a tunnel on different sections of the path.

The tunnel in Lefortovo is a fairly effective solution. It allows you to optimally organize a dense flow of traffic on one of the busiest sections of the entire transport system of the capital.

Equipment

Modern lighting, ventilation, video surveillance and communication systems, and fire safety have been installed in the Lefortovsky tunnel. Also, the measurement of the level of gas contamination and the water removal system work. The central control room provides control of all engineering communications.

Tunnel traffic

The Lefortovsky tunnel has three lanes for traffic in the north direction and four in the south. Each lane is three and a half meters wide. On average, the intensity of traffic reaches 3,800 cars in sixty minutes, and at rush hour this figure rises to eight thousand.

Why is the Lefortovo tunnel famous?

Accidents often occur in the Lefortovo tunnel, which is why it has received a bad reputation. Drivers tell scary mystical stories and claim to have seen cars winding out of the blue. It's hard to say if it's a mirage or not. Parapsychologists explain such visions by the fact that the tunnel is at great depth, and low temperatures really attract ghosts.

According to official statistics, two or three accidents occur in the tunnel every day. The drivers themselves blame the lighting: it is bright enough, but the lights are placed far from each other. As a result, from the darkness you always abruptly leave for a strongly lit space. Another factor contributing to hallucinations is gas pollution.

Despite all this, it is hard to believe in the ghosts of the Lefortovo tunnel. The surface of the road here is often covered with an ice crust, which leads to accidents. When driving through the tunnel, it is recommended to follow certain rules: the speed is not more than sixty kilometers per hour, and the distance between cars is eight meters.

A lot of rumors, gossip and legends are associated with such a place in Moscow as the Lefortovo tunnel. What is true?

A little about the tunnel itself

The automobile tunnel with a length of 2.2 km is located in the north-east of the capital. The road passes under and r. Yauza. This is part of the 3rd Ring Road.

Metropolitan motorists do not like this road too much, because there are many legends about it. Serious accidents often occur in this area, in which people die. Moreover, accidents often occur for unknown reasons - for no reason at all, the car slides into the oncoming lane or to the side. Some cars begin to "dance" on completely dry pavement as if they were driving on ice. Due to this phenomenon, this section of the road is often called death."

Cellular communication and radio are never available in the tunnel. There is constant noise and hum, which gradually increases. The general atmosphere is oppressive. Many drivers feel inexplicable fear, lack of oxygen. The behavior of motorists is also changing. Many become fussy, trying to get out of the tunnel as quickly as possible.

Lefortovo tunnel: the opinion of skeptics

All people are different. And not everyone believes that the Lefortovo tunnel, ghosts and accidents are links in the same chain. These considerations are also sound. For example, most accidents occur due to non-compliance with the speed limit. The record recorded by the equipment is over 230 km / h. The conclusions are obvious - if you rush along a city road at such a speed, the absence of an accident can be explained solely by luck. Many accidents occur due to unsuccessful lane changes and braking in the tunnel itself or at the entrance.

Another reason is flickering lighting, which can be uncomfortable for the eyes. For some, this is a major distraction. Moreover, unlike other tunnels, the Lefortovo tunnel does not have a good level of lighting.

Another possible reason is the slope of the road. Therefore, the car accelerates even if the gas pedal is released. The turns are quite steep, the lanes are very narrow. Therefore, if the driver pressed the brake at the wrong time, when driving downhill, the back of the car is even more unloaded. As a result, a drift occurs.

Lefortovo tunnel: ghosts

Every now and then, photos, videos and stories appear on the network that "guests" from For example, ghost cars meet on this road. The hero of the most popular video is a gazelle that seems to appear out of nowhere and disappear.

It is also said that ghosts of people are also found in the tunnel. For those who believe in otherworldly forces, this is easy to believe, because there used to be a cemetery on the site of the route. Allegedly disturbed spirits take revenge on motorists.

It is said that sometimes ghosts appear at night. Time seems to stop, and the driver gets the feeling that he is driving through the tunnel forever. Usually, the "victims" talk about cars that have stalled for no reason, sounds resembling groans, about the appearance of thick fog. Some say they have seen the risen dead. To believe in it or not is everyone's business. But the fact that the Lefortovo tunnel is a rather emergency place is worth remembering.