Rapid road thrown open to traffic by CM

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The much-awaited ‘rapid road’ pilot project, made from pre-cast concrete slabs, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai at Binnamangala near Indirana g ar on Thursday. The 375-metre road project stretches from Indiranagar 100 Feet RoadOld Madras Road junction to the BDA junction.

The work began on November 23 and it was expected to be over in three days, but it got stretched to 15 days. However, it is still much faster than white-topping, which takes months and in some cases even years.

After inspecting the road, the chief minister urged the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials to work towards cost reduction and prepare a report. He told reporters that the state government will consider using pre-cast technology for roads only after examining its quality and rate.

The Chief Minister said, “I have come here to inspect the same and give several suggestions. We need to run 20 tonne plus vehicles on this road continuously and then analyse it. I have sought a report on impact on the road due to the movement of heavy vehicles, details of joints, strength of tensoil and other techniques.

Ultimately, the work must be completed quickly, with good quality and cost effectiveness.” The pilot project will be observed for 15 days to understand its feasibility. White topping involves covering an existing asphalt pavement with a layer of Portland cement concrete.

BBMP officials have noted that the cost of laying a kilometre of rapid road was 20% higher than white topping. They cost Rs 9 crore a kilometre. However, they emphasized that the short timeframe was conducive for a city like Bengaluru that has a high density of traffic and long-drawn projects can cause gridlocks.

The officials also briefed Bommai about the precast tensioning concrete (laying of premade concrete slabs and connecting them through steel cables on either side with joints of each slab) and said it can be fixed using cranes for a road of 150 metres in a span of a day or two, allowing traffic to go back to normal at the earliest.

These roads can last for 40 years. PWD Minister CC Patil, MLA S Raghu, BBMP Commissioner Tushar Girinath, Administrator Rakesh Singh and others were present.