The MSRDC has given an Australian company the go-ahead to do a pilot project in city to test a technology that promises to build roads more quickly and effectively than the present one.
Mumbaikars may soon be able to commute on roads of international standards. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has given an Australian company the go-ahead to do a pilot project in city to test a technology that promises to build roads more quickly and effectively than the present one.
If the technology meets Indian road standards, it is likely to be used in all of the corporation’s future road contracts, said MSRDC officials.
A senior MSRDC official said that the technology is based on the use of a chemical called polymer, which is used to strengthen roads. “It ensures that road remains in a good condition for a minimum period of 10 years. The technology needs a specialised machine to lay the road. The company offered to give us a demonstration free. We have accepted the offer,” he said.
According to Graham Osborne, international project manager for Pearls Australasia, the technology is also cheaper than the standard technology used to build and repair roads in India. “It costs about 30% less than the normal methodology,” he said.
He added: “Using the chemical polymer, we have been successfully constructing up to 2-3km of roads in Australia. This technology uses a machine which digs the road half-a-foot deep (6 inches) and then relays it using the existing raw material such as bitumen and the specialised chemical. This saves a lot of time.”
After the company expressed willingness to give a demonstration, MSRDC has selected two spots — one 100-m patch outside its office at Bandra Reclamation and another at Gove Junction in Kalyan.
“Under the pilot project, we will be laying roads totalling to an area of approximately 200 sq m. We will be able to finish the work by the end of this month,” said Osborne.
The consultant for the pilot project is another Australian company, Spatial Impacts. Its managing director Manish Karkhanis said that this technology requires a detailed pre-construction survey, and this may consume a little more time on Indian roads. “As we are not sure about the underground utilities, our work may be a little slower,” he said.
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