<P> By the end of 1974 perhaps 50,000 young people of the 156,000 young people who applied had moved to the BAM service area . In 1975 and 1976 28 new settlements were inaugurated, and 70 new bridges including the Amur and Lena bridges were erected . And while 110 miles (180 km) of track was laid, the tracklaying rate would have needed to nearly triple to meet the 1983 deadline . </P> <P> In September 1984, a "golden spike" was hammered into place, connecting the eastern and western sections of the BAM . The Western media was not invited to attend this historic event as Soviet officials did not want any comments about the line's operational status . In reality, only one third of the BAM's track was fully operational for civilians, due to military reasons . </P> <P> The BAM was again declared complete in 1991 . By then, the total cost to build the line was US $14 billion . </P> <P> Beginning in the mid-1980s, the BAM - project attracted increasing criticism for bad planning . Infrastructure and basic services like running water were often not in place when workers arrived . At least 60 boomtowns developed around the route, but nowadays a lot of these places are deserted ghost towns and unemployment in the area is high . The building of the BAM has also been criticised for its complete lack of environmental protection . </P>

When was the baikal-amur mainline (bam) railroad completed in the russian domain