Yaw(r)n No. 3 for the day: Traffic density and roads

Traffic density and roads
The BCC is trashing out ways to upgrade city roads.
The Times of India


What makes M G Road one of the best roads insofar as technical specifications go? Regular upkeep by asphalting surfaces, potholes attended to regularly, continuous flow of traffic all times of the day and no 'ravelling' or gradual wearing of the top surface. In contrast why is an Anand Rao Circle, which handles traffic density of 10,000 passenger car units (PCUs) per hour, in such a terrible condition? As road experts aver, it is because the road is prone to 'development' work, digging by OFC (optic fibre cable) companies, and no regular maintenance. Responding to the clarion call for infrastructure and better roads, Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) engineers are thrashing out ways of regrading and stepping up the quality of the 4,000 odd km of city roads.

And their discovery? Most arterial and sub-arterial city roads are in a bad state because of unprecedented traffic density scarring roads which were meant to last longer. Capt Raja Rao, one of the members of the expert panel on roads constituted by the HC explained to The Times of India, "in any main road, it is the edges which will be severely damaged because that is the place where vehicles brake often, buses stop, friction is more and consequently the damage is more. Whereas in the center of roads the damage is minimal". How good a particular road is going to be in a cosmopolitan scenario depends on how the design is laid out initially vis-a-vis the layer of bitumen, macadam, coat of slurry seal or fog seal. And maintenance thereon.

BCC officials admit that the Corporation has so far done only damage-control and not taken any preventive maintenance action. Meaning, roads are attended to after battered by rain or ravaged by construction activity but are not pre-empted beforehand and strengthened.
Expert panel on roads
To address nitty-gritties of the 4,000 km of roads in Bangalore, the High Court last year, appointed a panel of three civic experts - R Jaiprasad, Capt Raja Rao, and Balakrishna. The trio has so far submitted three reports to the High Court with comprehensive pictures and details on what is going wrong with the maintenance and upkeep of roads that come under BCC limits. However priorities include networking with Residents Welfare Associations to hear out their problems and suggestions, curtailing road cutting by utility companies and filling potholes regularly

Traffic density in some areas (PCUs)

Anand Rao Circle - 10,000 M G Road - 12,000 Residency Road - 9,000 Richmond Road - 9,000 Hudson Circle - 18,000
PCU: Passenger car unit per hour. Source: Traffic police

Road damages
Inadequate bonding between old and newlyadded bituminous surface due to inadequate tack coat Road opening by various utility agencies left un-restored Shrinkage with age, ravelling, alligator cracking, hairline cracks