Corporation's concrete road plans

Wants to replace bitumen roads with concrete ones, but not everyone's in approval

Wants to replace bitumen roads with concrete ones, but not everyone's in approvalu00a0

BBMP officials, who drew flak for the 'magic box' underpass experiment, are now trying to convert bitumen roads into concrete ones.

Officials are hoping to save BBMP the huge amounts spent on maintaining bitumen roads every year. If the low-budget concrete roads turn out to be a success, they will replace major arterial roads using bitumen.

The Aditya Birla group has proposed the project on behalf of CPA (Cement Producers'Association) and BBMP officials have given the go-ahead.

"The plan is ready and awaits CPA's clearance," said R Suresh, deputy manager, Grasim Industries Ltd, Aditya Birla Group. "BBMP is interested and we hope to start the work soon."

Smooth promises: The company that has proposed the new concrete roads claim that they will be maintenance-free for at least 50 years

'Rapid'roads

To start with, K R Circle junction and Maharani College-Mysore Bank stretch have been shortlisted for the pilot project. The Aditya Birla group, along with BBMP, will take up the project at a cost of Rs 170 lakh.

The K R Circle junction has been chosen since it is one of the busiest in town. "The concrete road, besides being more durable, will also save BBMP a huge amount. Officials would examine the pilot project and will approve others if it proves successful," added Suresh.

The concrete roads, also known as 'rapid pavements', will be stronger and more durable than existing concrete roads in select residential areas across the city. Built using rapid-curing, rapid-hardening cement, a 1-kilometre stretch of these roads can be constructed in three days while a bitumen road would take up to a week.

Their relatively lower cost is another advantage. While Rs 6-7 crore is spent on constructing 1 kilometre of bitumen road, a concrete road of the same length costs about Rs 5-6 crore. Experts claim that they are also maintenance-free up to 50 years, while it is well-known that bitumen roads eat up large amounts as maintenance costs every year.

Sceptic's view

However, some fear the low-budget roads may go the way of the magic box.

BBMP, which tried to install pre-cast 'magic boxes'in place of underpasses to save time and money came under heavy criticism after it ended up creating heavy traffic snarls.

u00a0"Most of BBMP's projects are unplanned, which later result in a mess. Magic boxes are a good example," said P R Ramesh, former mayor, Bangalore.

"Concrete roads or low-budget roads will not be as successful as bitumen roads in certain areas where traffic flow is huge. We have to wait and watch the outcome of the pilot project," he said.