In Irkutsk they inspected the progress of road repairs by large patches and road marking. This year the work will cover central highways and dozens more sites. Significant funds have been allocated for repairs and marking, and among the new measures is the use of geogrid, which experts say should extend the pavement life. The administration promises to strictly monitor the quality of the work and complete all planned measures by October 1.

Deputy Mayor, Chairman of the Committee for Urban Development of the Administration of the City of Irkutsk Bulat Dugarov inspected the progress of road repair work using large patches in Irkutsk on September 10.
Road repair using “large patches” is a repair method in which, on sections of roads starting from several dozen meters, the top layer is removed and a new layer of the road surface is laid. The first stage of the repairs is planned to be completed by May 9, and the road markings are to be applied by June 15. Work on the second stage began back in early September; as of today, 8 sites are already completed, while the rest are still in progress. The first stage of the repairs was completed at the end of August, and its cost amounted to 50 million rubles. A contract is now being concluded for an expert assessment to determine the quality of the laid road surface. The list of main roads for laying single-layer asphalt concrete “large patches” includes central streets. Three sites on Dekabrskikh Sobytiy Street, the section from the “Irkutsk Komsomolets Tank,” the intersection with Timiryazeva Street, and the intersection with Karl Marx Street. About 4 thousand square meters of new pavement will be laid on Karl Marx Street. Road works will also be carried out on the central streets of Marata, Chkalova, and on a section of Lenin Street.
Preparations for road marking work began as early as April 3; during this time, pothole repairs were carried out, streets were cleaned of dirt and dust, and in addition, points were marked where special vehicles would apply the lines. The first stage involves applying paint markings on the primary central streets — Karl Marx, Lenin, Roza Lyuksemburg, Dekabrskikh Sobytiy, and others. Markings will be applied on 18 primary streets of the city by May 1. After May 9, work will continue on another 15 sites. All marking work is planned to be completed by June 10; in total, about 54 thousand square kilometers of markings will be applied. Starting May 15, if nighttime temperatures do not fall below ten degrees, they will begin applying cold plastic markings at pedestrian crossings near educational institutions. These works will be completed by June 15. Thermoplastic will be used for center lines, and cold plastic will also be used at crossings and the most accident-prone sections. Markings will be applied both manually and mechanically.
As reported by the chairman of the Committee for Urban Development of the Administration of Irkutsk, Bulat Dugarov, about 24 million rubles have been allocated from the city budget this year for horizontal road markings. Of this amount, 12.5 million rubles will go toward paint application work and 11.5 million rubles — toward cold plastic work (7 thousand sq. m). In conjunction with this work, road maintenance organizations on whose roads network infrastructure facilities are located will have to carry out the necessary work — to level the manholes with the level of the new road surface.
In total, within the framework of the second stage, it is planned to repair 48 sites with a total area of 120 thousand square meters, and the total cost of the work will amount to 100 million rubles.
According to Bulat Dugarov
- “First of all, we repair arterial roads, then district and local roads. The list of sites was compiled based on inspections of the city and taking into account the opinions of residents: in the spring, a survey among Irkutsk residents was organized.”
A new feature in the repair using “large patches” will be the use of a geogrid (reinforcing metal mesh). According to specialists, this technology will extend the service life of the repaired road section. Special attention will be paid to the quality of the repair work. Given the approaching cold front, administration specialists will strictly monitor compliance with the asphalt laying technology. Last year, the administration identified cases where the contractor laid asphalt in rainy weather. All planned work will be completed by October 1 of this year.
Based on materials from the press service of the Administration of the City of Irkutsk.