The St. Petersburg government has officially authorized the seizure of a land plot and apartments located at 48 Obukhovskoy Oborony Avenue, in order to facilitate the construction of the Bolshoy Smolensky Bridge. A decree, published on July 2nd, outlines the city’s plan to acquire the five-story building and the 1.3 thousand square meter land plot it occupies.

The decision to demolish this building, along with several others in the vicinity, was made in 2023 through amendments to the city law, all in support of the bridge project.

Some residents of the affected buildings have united to form the “Homeless St. Petersburg” coalition. This group comprises citizens facing displacement due to major infrastructure projects. The coalition includes residents of Farforovsky Post, who are being relocated to accommodate the construction of the High-Speed Railway. While some buildings in that area will be moved instead of demolished, assessments are underway to allow Russian Railways to make offers to buy out the apartments.