Sirmione Lakefront Restoration via Resin Injections to Fix Uneven Surface
An advanced high-tech check-up. Very similar to what top plastic surgeons perform on lips, buttocks, and breasts of many famous personalities. And not only women. This time, the plastic surgeon came to the aid of a street, specifically the lakefront of the queen of islands and peninsulas, Sirmione.
The lakeside promenade of the town dear to poet Catullus is now in disastrous condition. Not only because spots of porphyry cobblestones are missing in some areas, but also because part of the walkway has «lowered» in level, creating a sort of depression that runs along its entire length.
Problems and causes of the instability
The precarious situation has over the years been a source of complaints from tourists visiting Sirmione, many of whom have experienced minor incidents, sprains, and other mishaps caused precisely by the uneven surface. Complicating the intervention plans was the fact that the lakefront is situated on a public land area.
Furthermore, a survey carried out in recent months on initiative of the current Administration revealed a decidedly alarming situation. The technician who explored the subsoil detected the presence of voids and holes, probably caused by the settling of the fill terrain of the lake area above which the lakefront was later built.
Interventions and technical solutions
In short, opening up the walkway to restore the aggregate base and then installing a new pavement would not only take time but also incur astronomic costs, estimated at least in the billions. Therefore, the Administration sought a simpler, faster, and less expensive solution. A solution was eventually found.
The work began just yesterday morning. The expenditure will amount to 134 million euros. The intervention involves injecting expanding resins into the ground under pressure through copper pipes properly embedded at a depth of about 1 meter.
The material consists of inert expanding resins resistant to chemical agents present in the soil, insoluble and waterproof. The municipal technical report precisely identifies the density, pressure resistance, and composition.
Consolidation procedure
Yesterday morning, the company that won the contract started the «injections» into the ground, drilling holes 60 centimeters apart. Then, the compressor injects in the underground resins in liquid state, which fill the holes and voids beneath and also manage to lift the walking surface of the lakefront, returning it to its original level.
In short, consolidation occurs very quickly because after the injections, the resin solidifies, and the problem is solved. With thousands of injections, the lifting of the lakefront will be completed, eliminating depressions and unevenness.
Of course, this is the first intervention to repair the beautiful lakeside promenade. Once consolidated, there will be subsequent plans to restore the porphyry paving and implement other beautification projects.