The Deccan Chronicle 26.08.2010
White topped roads expensive
Aug. 25: Concrete roads will not come cheap, say engineers. White topping on a 24 metre wide, one kilometre road will cost Rs 4 crore while asphalting a similar stretch of road will cost Rs 2.5 crore, says a senior engineer C. S. Vishwanath.
The advantage is that white topping technology increases the life of a road to at least 25 to 30 years. But the BBMP will obviously have to tackle the roads that are most in need of attention, considering the cost involved. It is being suggested that it should give priority to laying concrete roads in the 11 signal free corridors that it is planning over 135 km as these parts see the highest traffic density in the city. BBMP has identified the 11 roads for its signal free corridors project to ease traffic conditions in these areas. Underpasses at all the junctions and intersections on the roads will make sure that traffic can run smoothly without interruption.
Making them concrete, could be the icing on the cake, say engineers, pointing out that BWSSB pipes, Bescom, BSNL and other cables are already being shifted to either sides of the 11 roads in question, to deal with frequent road cutting.
The BBMP will have to spend over Rs 500 crore for shifting utilities along all the arterial roads of the city, if it intends to make them concrete as well, they say.
