TOMSK, April 16 – RIA Tomsk. The partial destruction of the guide dam of the Communal Bridge in Tomsk does not threaten the strength of the structure, but the authorities should take the project to restore damaged structures seriously; the road along the Sennaya Kurya requires concrete fortifications, and the lake itself must communicate with Tom, Vasily Muzalev, the ex-head of Mostootryad-101, told RIA Tomsk on Tuesday.
Earlier it was reported that on April 13, water from Tom began to flood the road to the Sennaya Kurya on the left bank. As a result of its overflow, the dam at the Communal Bridge began to collapse. On April 15, water completely destroyed a section of the road. The authorities decided to dismantle it, since the remains of the structure direct the flow of water to the embankment. On social networks, Tomsk residents are actively discussing the sustainability of the Communal Bridge.
“When the bridge was designed (1960s), everything was planned normally, but then there was no road yet. The initial data included the highest ice drift and the highest water, which happens once every hundred years. But the designers did not imagine that they could there would be congestion – then (during construction) there was no such problem,” Muzalev said, adding that the bridge was put into operation in 1973.
He recalled that for the first time such a situation with a partial collapse of the ice guide dam occurred during the ice drift of 2010. Then Tom froze to the bottom in winter, and in the spring a traffic jam formed immediately behind the bridge.
“The road was a separate project, it was built later. But they did not calculate that there could be congestion and overflow. The slope of the road was not strengthened. In addition, this road blocked the entry of water from Tom to Sennaya Kurya… The water there was very low, and when the overflow began near the bridge, it rushed between the road and the dam. At such a speed, the flow washed away both the road and the dam,” the expert explained.
© provided by Vasily Muzalev
How the guide dam of the Communal Bridge was washed away by the flood in 2010
What to do?
“In case of an emergency, it is necessary to strengthen the road with concrete, and between it and the ice drainage dam of the bridge, strengthen it with large fragmentary materials – jagged rocks. Then, even if the water rises above the road, it will stand,” the bridge builder noted.
In addition, according to Muzalev, communication between Tom and Sennaya Kurya should be restored in order to prevent powerful overflows in the future. For this, according to the expert, an engineering solution is required. For example, upstream the Tom, where it used to connect with the Sennaya Kurya, you can make a bridge or culverts under the road. Then, during high water, Sennaya Kurya will communicate with Tomya in a calm, not emergency mode.
© RIA Tomsk. Nikita Goltsov
Tom washed away a section of the road near the Communal Bridge. April 2024
But most importantly, the interlocutor emphasized, the authorities should not allow ice jams to form within Tomsk. Answering a question about preventive ice-blasting and ice-cutting work that is carried out on the eve of each ice drift, Muzalev said: “Every year there are jams in the same places, the degree of risk can be foreseen in advance.”
The expert does not have any concerns about the Communal Bridge itself, but he has questions about the maintenance of all artificial structures in Tomsk: “There must be a system of operation. The banks near the bridges must be cleared, there must be no litter… But they say there is no money,” he concluded Muzalev.
© RIA Tomsk. Andrey Kuznetsov
