Irkutsk may ban cars, keep tiles on Uritskogo Street

Irkutsk city officials are reconsidering plans to asphalt Uritskogo pedestrian street and may instead close it to all vehicles to preserve the tile surface, as shared in recent hearings.

Feb 21, 2026

A view of Uritskogo Street in Irkutsk, where city officials are debating whether to preserve tile paving or switch to asphalt.
Source:
Daniil Konin / IrCity

The Irkutsk city hall is reconsidering paving the pedestrian Uritskogo Street with asphalt, even though city head Ruslan Bolotov announced this several months ago. Deputy mayor and chairman of the city improvement committee Sergey Gavrin shared plans for renewing the street in the near future during deputy hearings on January 28.

«We are comprehensively reviewing the issue of restoring the sidewalk tiles. Yesterday [January 27] we went out with the firefighters; most likely, if they approve the passage of equipment from the side of Dom byta, we will completely close Uritskogo Street to ensure the preservation of the tile covering,» Gavrin stated.

According to him, in 2026, city authorities plan to restore the damaged fragments on the sidewalks. For this, they will use tiles removed during the repair of Rossiyskaya Street, which are currently in responsible storage.

In the fall of 2025, Irkutsk Mayor Ruslan Bolotov spoke about plans to replace the tile covering with asphalt on Uritskogo Street. They want to abandon tiles because they break under the impact of trucks entering to unload goods at local stores. But if the authorities approve access to Uritskogo from the side of Dom byta, then perhaps this will positively affect the condition of the tiles.

The covering that is currently on Uritskogo Street was laid in 2019. At that time, 88.5 million rubles (approximately $931,600 at current rates) were spent on the improvement, of which the tiles alone were valued at 28.5 million rubles (about $300,000 at current rates). Local residents have constantly complained about the condition of the tiles, and periodically they have even been relaid. Duma deputy Georgiy Ni said that it could have been arranged differently: by placing reinforcement in the base, not a metal mesh, as is currently done on Uritskogo.

Architects and designers believe that the choice between asphalt or tiles depends on two factors: appropriateness and the surrounding space.

«It is not entirely correct to use asphalt absolutely everywhere or tiles everywhere or any other covering, as everywhere there are certain conditions for the application of the corresponding material. You wouldn«t transport sand in a passenger sedan, but rather take a truck for that, as it is adapted for it. Similarly, work is done in the design of public spaces,» commented Dmitry Falkovsky, general director of MAD FOX Architects, last year.

Irkutsk architect Sergey Demkov agreed that the use of tiles or asphalt is a matter of appropriateness.

«In my opinion, in the central part of Irkutsk city, it is more appropriate to have small-piece and large-format tiles made of natural stone or artificial stone with a rough surface, to eliminate the possibility of slipping and breaking, God forbid, something,» he commented.

Head of the DASREDA bureau Alisa Kozak added that tiles help create a city image corresponding to its historical context and are more aesthetic. Kozak also notes that tiles are a more eco-friendly, recyclable material, unlike asphalt, which is unsuitable for recycling and reuse. Moreover, all interviewed experts noted that tile covering is easier to repair than asphalt.