Potholes are back, so are the BCC explanations

Potholes are back, so are the BCC explanations
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Rains have started to pound the roads and create havoc and with that the holes in the Bangalore City Corporation's (BCC) quality of work have resurfaced.

Following a media campaign last year, BCC initiated three-year maintenance contracts for 1,225 km of city roads at a cost of Rs. 18 crore. But this has not rid the city of potholes. BCC blames poor road design for the situation.

A pothole on Infantry Road opposite the office of Deputy Commissioner of Police - Traffic has developed into a big trench and traffic has been badly hit.

The gaping potholes even on upmarket Museum Road, Lavelle Road, MG Road and near Tiffany's Circle are only growing bigger after every shower.

BCC engineer-in-chief Rame Gowda, who retired on Tuesday, told this website's newspaper the major cause for potholes is the bad road geometry. ``Most of the roads in the city have faulty curvature which results in water collecting in puddles. Lack of proper road drainage adds to the problem,'' he said.

Camber is the vertical curve provided across the road width with a crest at the centre so that the water flows to the edges and is drained off. But most roads are either flat or have wrong curve and the drains are always clogged.

Another reason for the potholes is the fuel spills at the traffic junctions. Tar is soluble in fossil fuels like diesel and petrol and oil spill loosens the road surface and potholes begin to form.

But the very rain that causes the potholes does not allow repair work to be taken up during the monsoon.