Measures to be taken for buildings near Istanbul’s main highway
ISTANBUL
A work has been initiated by Istanbul Municipality to prevent the buildings lying parallel to the E-5 highway, which will provide transportation in Istanbul in case of a possible earthquake, from collapsing and blocking the road.
Following the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, work is ongoing regarding the measures to be taken before the possible Marmara earthquake, which is expected to greatly affect Istanbul.
The Istanbul Municipality is working hard on the risks and actions to be taken regarding the city’s highways planned to be used for emergency transportation after the possible earthquake.
Within the scope of the Istanbul Earthquake Mobilization Plan, officials and the representatives of 39 district municipalities discussed which roads might collapse in the event of a quake and which neighborhoods would be most difficult to access.
Risks regarding the E-5 highway, the main route of the city, came to the fore in the meeting.
Istanbul Municipality Deputy Secretary General Buğra Gökçe stated that there are buildings adjacent to E-5 in Avcılar and Küçükçekmece districts, and even if the road’s infrastructure is sound and the earthquake does not damage it, if these buildings along the highway collapse, a significant part of the E-5 will be blocked.
“Therefore, it is not enough for us to reinforce only the infrastructure, bridge and overpass of the road. We also need to quickly reinforce or renovate the buildings that front it,” Gökçe said.
Gökçe added that the east-west connection of the city is provided by the E-5 and TEM highways and if a problem occurs on one of these roads, there will be a disconnection between the western and eastern sides of the city.
The meeting drew attention to the need to open main evacuation routes in the north-south direction as alternatives, especially in Bağcılar and Küçükçekmece districts. Research and construction works have also been initiated for road infrastructures and viaducts that are likely to be damaged in a possible disaster.
