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Road Development

City roads might stop being bumpy!

Friday, 06 August 2010 07:38 administrator
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The New Indian Express  06.08.2010

City roads might stop being bumpy!

Express News Service

 

HYDERABAD: Have you been complaining of bad city roads whenever you venture out in your vehicle? Well, the next step of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation might make your roads a little more bearable. The GHMC would take up a comprehensive study on road inventory and conditions in Greater Hyderabad for having a uniform, improved, durable and safe road network on all arterial and sub-arterial roads. The roads would be designed to cater to future traffic demand for a period of 10 to 15 years.

In July, the GHMC Standing Committee gave sanction for consultant services to the tune of Rs 7.95 crore. It would be put up for approval at the third ordinary meeting of the council on Friday. After approval, it would be submitted to the state government for issuing necessary orders.  

Presently, majority of roads in Greater Hyderabad limits do not meet the Indian Road Congress (IRC)  standards. According to GHMC officials,  roads are laid in urgency to avoid inconvenience to public.

Whenever roads are damaged due to rains or indiscriminately cut by road-cutting agencies,  they are just re-carpeted to avoid backlash from people and motorists,  without following IRC norms.

One can easily find several  roads which have been laid in a faulty manner, full of uneven surfaces and lying sometimes in a zig-zag manner. The quality also differs and the lifespan is not even of five years.

Annually, the GHMC is reported to be incurring expenditure of Rs 100 crore or more for just temporary maintenance.

Last Updated on Friday, 06 August 2010 07:42
 

Palike checks on Hosur Road concrete stretch

Friday, 06 August 2010 07:25 administrator
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The New Indian Express  06.08.2010

Palike checks on Hosur Road concrete stretch

 

BANGALORE: Members of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s technical advisory council paid a visit to the under-construction stretch of Hosur Road on Thursday.

The stretch is being laid in concrete free-of-cost by Ultra Tech Cement and the Cement Manufacturers Association.

The 350-meter stretch of concrete road will cost `80 lakh.

It will have 150mm-thick concrete coating or “white coating”.

C Vishwanath of Quality Assurance in Public Construction said more concrete roads will come up in the city in the future.

Adding that the government has shown interest in constructing such roads, he said the same will be implemented on most arterial and sub-arterial roads.

BBMP Chief Engineer (Major Roads) T N Chikrayappa said for concreting the existing 2,000 km of roads in the city, a proposal will have to be placed in the council.

The cost of the project would exceed `4,000 crore, said the chief engineer.

Vishwanath said this kind of roads will be first tried in the outskirts of the city.

Concreting will cost more to the Palike, but it also increases the life-span of a road to around 30 years. The Bitumen tar roads last only a few years.

Chikrayappa said the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board and the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company will construct utility ducts on either side of the road.

The Palike will have to bear the cost of it which will amount to `900 crore for the two agencies.

Last Updated on Friday, 06 August 2010 07:44
 

‘Concrete’ step to test longevity of City roads

Friday, 06 August 2010 06:02 administrator
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The Deccan Herald 06.08.2010

‘Concrete’ step to test longevity of City roads

Bangalore, August 5, DHNS:

Are concrete roads the future of Bangalore City? To impress upon the State Government the possibilities of low maintenance and longevity of City roads, the Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) along with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has embarked on laying of a ''free of cost'' cement road on Hosur Road

A small stretch of 350 meters of road will have a ‘white topping’, in other words concrete coating of 150 mm thickness at an estimated cost of Rs 80 lakh.

Chairman of the Task Force for Quality Assurance in Public Construction, C S Vishwanath told mediapersons the government had responded positively to concretisation of roads in the future.

“There have been a lot of positive responses from Cabinet ministers about concertising most arterial and sub-arterial roads in the City,” said Vishwanath. But at what cost?

BBMP Chief Engineer Chikkarayappa said concertising 2,000 kilometres of arterial and sub-arterial roads in the City would cost nearly Rs 4,000 crore.

The proposal will be placed in front of the Council, he added. The Palike might be toying with the idea but speculations over BBMP’s financial stability may stall the entire idea of concertising City roads. According to the figures prepared by the CMA and the task force, a square meter of white topping would cost the BBMP Rs 1,150, as against the bituminise tar, which is priced at Rs 890. Moreover, if the roads are cemented with reinforcement and completely concreted, the cost could go upto Rs 2,400 per square meter. While this is just the concertising of roads, provision for utility ducts which is mandatory for these stretches will further burden the BBMP.

As  indiscriminate digging of roads and replacement of utility lines cannot be done on concrete roads, coordination between civic agencies is another issue the BBMP and the State Government needs to tackle.

Provision for utility ducts

The BBMP has now made provisions for utility ducts on either side of new arterial and sub-arterial roads, which are being laid or asphlated. The Palike Chief Engineer Chikkarayappa on Thursday said utility ducts will be built by other civic agencies like Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) on roads with length amounting to 512 kilometres.

The Palike will have to pay Rs 800 crore to BWSSB and Bescom have estimated a cost of Rs 110 crore for shifting their respective utility lines to either sides of the road.

Highlights

* Cost of one kilometre with white topping: Rs 79.53 lakh
* Service Life: 25-30 years
* Cost of one kilometre with bitumen (tarred) overlay: Rs 62.1 lakh
* Service life: 5 years
* Cost of machinery to be used for laying of cement roads: Rs 90 lakh to Rs 1.3 crore.

Last Updated on Friday, 06 August 2010 06:09
 
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