Volgograd Officials Explain Road Destruction

The administration of Volgograd acknowledged that the powerful January thaw led to serious damage of city roads. The main causes of asphalt defects were cited as sharp temperature fluctuations and high traffic loads.

Motorists drew attention to the catastrophic condition of the Second and Third Longitudinal Highways, where drivers have to constantly detour around deep potholes.

Residents describe the situation: «The Third Longitudinal Highway, from its very start near Nezhdanova Street and further towards the Traktorny district, is not a road but just a slalom course, — the residents said. — Potholes appear literally before your eyes. On the Second Longitudinal Highway, especially starting from Ardatovskaya, where trucks exit, you can only drive in the far left lane; the asphalt still holds there. On Nezhdanova Street, in the right lane, a low-clearance car has no business there: if you don«t scrape the belly, you»ll leave a wheel in a pothole. Hence the traffic jams and everything else.»

Complaints also come regarding the condition of the bridge over the Volga-Don Shipping Canal in the Krasnoarmeysky District. Local residents note that the road surface there is in critical condition, despite existing restrictions for trucks.

In the city hall, all the defects that have appeared were explained by the impact of weather conditions and heavy truck traffic.

«One of the reasons for defects appearing on the road surface are the features of Volgograd«s climate, which is characterized by frequent changes between positive and negative temperatures, accompanied by equally frequent freezing and thawing of precipitated water, — officials stated. — These processes lead to the formation of microcracks in the asphalt concrete pavement and their subsequent increase. The destruction process is exacerbated by intense traffic loads, especially in sections where heavy trucks travel.»

For an operational solution to the problem on key highways, the authorities promised to carry out temporary repairs using cast asphalt concrete. The work is planned to be done before the start of the road construction season, as soon as weather conditions permit.