Street collapse in Bad Godesberg What's the situation with the sinkhole on Basteistraße?
Bad Godesberg · After the appearance of a sinkhole on Bad Godesberg's Basteistraße, work is continuing. Earth sliding down the hole made it necessary to intervene quickly.
The sinkhole in Basteistraße is turning into something of an attraction. At least that's the impression you get when you pass the site. At almost any time of day, passers-by of all ages inspect the area at the intersection with Fontanestraße. On Monday, there was a lot to see there.
Throughout the day, several loads of fluidized soil were being used to consolidate the area that had collapsed. The work had already started last Friday and continued on Saturday and Sunday. This was necessary for two reasons: Firstly, because of the expected rainfall over the weekend, and secondly, because earth was sliding down into the hole, according to Lea Hoffmann from the municipal press office. First, ten cubic metres of fluidized soil were poured in. Afterwards, says Hoffmann, the civil engineering office kept an eye on the hole over the weekend, checking it regularly. On Monday, the rest of the hole was filled in.
Duration and costs are still uncertain
As reported, the sinkhole appeared on the pavement and road of Basteistraße. Initially very small on the surface, it quickly grew larger, not least because there was a metre-deep cavity underneath. The very day after the collapse, the city wanted to examine the damage more closely to find out why the hole had appeared. But the weather threw a spanner in the works of the civil engineering department. Due to the persistent rainfall, the drain under the street was so full that it could not be investigated. This situation changed after a few days. With the help of a suction truck, the water level was lowered, the drain was inspected and the point of collapse was located. According to the city, the sinkhole was caused by age-related damage.
It is not yet clear when the work will finally be completed and how expensive it will ultimately be. "Depending on the weather, the entire drain in the street is to be inspected in order to be able to locate possible damage", says Hoffmann. This is expected to happen in the course of the week.
Once the results are available, i.e. the canal has been inspected with a camera, "a decision will be made on further repair or renovation and the surface will be restored accordingly," the spokesperson says.
Fluidized soil can be walked on after four to six hours. But what is it exactly? It is a temporarily fluid backfill material, explains Hoffmann. Natural soil material is used, to which additives such as plasticisers, accelerators or stabilisers and water are added. This makes the material liquid and free-flowing. It is self-compacting, so no mechanical vibrations are necessary during application, according to Hoffmann. It therefore develops "soil-like to ground-level conditions". It can be walked on after four to six hours.
Original text: Ayla Jacob
Translation: Jean Lennox
