Plastic paves the way for IT-BT roads

Plastic paves the way for IT-BT roads
17 Done Up With Best Technical Specifications,Though After Extended Deadline
The Times of India

Bangalore: Plastic is good! That’s what the 19 IT-BT roads in the city have proved.
Good news: Of the 19 roads, 17 have been done up, though after the deadline was extended.
All these roads, leading to the famed IT Corridor, had a deadline of Jan. 2006. That dispensed with, there was no fixed deadline thereafter. But they have been finally revamped with the best technical specifications. Two roads — Commissariat Road and Lower Agaram Road — are still awaiting work.
Check out the technical specifications on these roads — the asphalting layer stands at 60/70 instead of the usual 80/100. Engineers who worked on these roads explain that the asphalting grade layers work in descending order and hence even 30/40 would be considered a high level. These roads also have a mix of 8% polyblend, which is plastic waste combined with the hot mix to yield a good riding surface. “With plastic, we have seen that the cohesiveness of the surface improves,’’ they say.
Explains Rasool Khan of KK Plastic Waste Management, “The 19 roads add up to a total of 60 km. The plastic has been sourced from the solid waste of the city, so it even contributes to reduce the choking of plastics on city’s drainage.’’ The other point that BMP personnel moot is that roads with these high specifications don’t need repairs or maintenance for 10 yrs.
These roads were selected for upgradation on a fast-track basis, after an interface between the government and industry representatives circa September 2005. Work was supposed to have started in October last year, with a deadline of January 2006. People at the helm of affairs changed, and the person incharge of the project was abroad for a while and a new person was designated only in March, which was when work began on the IT-BT roads.
Says member of empowered committee on infrastructure R K Misra who often accompanied the teams on their inspections and whilst the specifications were being laid out: “The quality of roads is reasonably good. It still needs a better finish though. People’s expectations are exacting, which means some things like the undulating surfaces at the road ends, should all be looked into. As also the Trinity junction, Brunton Road, Koramangala 7th and 8th main.’’