Problems with the retaining wall on the street. Admiral Oktyabrsky in Sevastopol arose during Soviet times. Natalya Beznos, a member of the board of directors of the Sevastopol Union of Architects, spoke about this on November 25 in a comment to the ForPost news portal.
According to the architect, the collapse of the retaining wall, which occurred on the morning of November 25, was inevitable and the origins of the problem should be sought in the 1980s.
The expert recalled that difficulties arose when they decided to decorate an old wall covered in moss with granite breccia.
“Before, the wall was made of rubble, natural stone from Inkerman, it was porous and brought to the surface the groundwater and the rainwater that passed through there. When Sergei Tselovalnikov became the main artist, he decided to concrete the wall and cover it with this mosaic.– said Beznos.
According to her, this decision was made despite the opinion of experts who opposed such a coating. This caused the wall to swell and part of the mosaic to fall off. After this, pipes were placed in the wall to prevent moisture from accumulating inside.
“The granite mosaic creates an additional barrier to water infiltration. And we said: water will flow down these stairs. But this is upstairs and we don’t know what’s inside.”– said Beznos.
At the same time, he notes that this type of coating is not typical for Sevastopol and violates the artistic image of the city.
Furthermore, the recent renovation of the staircase and the construction of the “Blood Center” above it could have contributed to the collapse of the wall.
“The wall did not bulge until the stairs were repaired. Apparently, after the house was built, the pressure increased and the water washed away the wall, so it came out. There is no point arguing with nature.”“said Beznos.
The architect is confident that it is necessary to carry out hydrogeological studies before proceeding with the repair of walls and stairs. To avoid another collapse, it is necessary to find out where the groundwater comes from and where the rainwater escapes.
Let us remember that on the morning of November 25 in Sevastopol a retaining wall collapsed near the street stairs. Admiral Oktyabrsky. In June, a crack in the wall and its inclination towards the road was discovered. In September the emergency area was dismantled and residents’ access to the stairs was blocked.
Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev suggests that the collapse of the containment structure was allegedly caused by the repair of the stairs, which was carried out in 2018 under the government of Governor Dmitry Ovsyannikov. Then, according to him, the storm drain pipes were blocked. As a result, rainwater from the upper level of the stairs began to saturate the rubble masonry on the stair wall instead of flowing toward the street. He promised that law enforcement would deal with those responsible for those repairs.
Source: Rossa Primavera

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