Mumbai: Soon, a brand new pothole-free JVLR

JVLR is crucial link between eastern and western suburbs and sees heavy traffic. Pics/Nimesh Dave

The civic body is all set to apply new architectural technology to provide pothole-free roads while widening the highly congested Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road. The Highly Modified Asphalt - also known as HIMA - will be used to construct the JVLR's widened portion. Currently, the road is blocked with traffic during peak hours owing to one lane on each side being barricaded for the Metro VI work. The BMC has now come up with a plan to merge the service roads on either side into the main carriageway to widen it and enable smoother traffic movement.

The project worth R92 crore has been approved by BMC authorities and a contract has already been awarded with work expected to start soon after monsoon. Further, to complete this task, a Storm Water Drains network, which is obstructing the way, will have to be shifted from the main road to the sides. The four-km road will see a complete rehaul as another new technology - micro-Surfacing - will then be used for the entire cement concrete-laden road of JVLR, the arterial road that connects the eastern suburbs to the western suburbs.

The service roads on either sides of JVLR lie mostly unused

Civic officials said that the new HIMA technology is resistant against water-logging and micro-surfacing is economical for improving the riding quality of worn out cement concrete blocks. Successful implementation and results will pave the way for it to be used across other roads in the near future. The service roads on both sides are hardly in use at the moment and mostly see encroachment. Around 30 per cent of the service roads have been encroached upon, officials said, adding that it won't hamper work. The JVLR was constructed decades ago by MMRDA and has been heavily used throughout the day.

"When compared with the technology of mastic asphalt that is usually used during asphalting work, HIMA was found to be a more money-saving yet durable option. Since it is resistant to water-logging, the chances of developing potholes are automatically reduced," said a civic official. Chief engineer (Roads) S Nadgoudar was not available for comment.

Other road experiments

The BMC recently started using Mastic Asphalt - a higher quality asphalt to provide longer life to roads and smoother rides instead of those on concrete roads. This has been used widely. It also came up with a plan to lay roads using plastic contents mixed with tar to increase durability and an experimental project in Dadar saw a good response. But the experiment was never repeated.

Ultra Thin White Topping (UTWT) technology - a mixture of asphalt and concrete - was also considered, and tried on the road opposite Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, where Empire Cinema is located. Around two to four such roads were built but it ended there. To give a new look to the roads of asphalt, the BMC had also started using paver blocks on them. But this idea was soon given up.

Rs 92 cr
Cost of the road-widening and refurbishing project

4 km
Length of JVLR stretch that will be widened

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