Tech for roads that heal themselves being considered by govt

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One of the eternal squabbles that rend the air in municipalities across the entire nation centres on the poor condition of roads, the potholes that regularly adorn them, the annual expenditure that the coffers have to bear to mend them surprising frequency and the allegations of corruption charges that loom over the entire horizon. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) or NHAI could be just beginning the end of such a nightmare as it starts to adopt a technology of roads that heal themselves, The Economic Times has reported quoting unnamed officials.

NHAI has started dipping its toes into this technology which allows asphalt to self-heal!!!

Gravel and sand that is held together by bitumen in a thick mixture makes asphalt. With the passing of years, bitumen wears down resulting in pieces of asphalt eroding and triggering small cracks that expand into big potholes.

The new technology helps combat this erosion by allowing asphalt to heal. This quality is imparted by mixing small pieces of steel wool with the bitumen which makes the bitumen conductive. If this type of bitumen is used, it can be heated with the help of an induction machine – it has already become conductive – so that it can bind with the stones and gravel in the asphalt once again, the report stated.

“We are considering ingenious and unconventional methods to improve durability and to address the issue of potholes. This can increase the lifespan of roads and practically eliminate the need for road maintenance, while bringing down traffic disruption,” a senior bureaucrat told the newspaper. The wonder is attributable to asphalt which has the ability to mend itself once damaged.

Incidentally, potholes are not only an impediment to the smooth flow of traffic and raises maintenance costs of vehicles but also causes many accidents resulting in fatalities.

The first step consists in a thorough cost-benefit analysis of the technology before it is adopted.

Between 2021 and 2022, there has been a staggering 22.6% rise in the number of road accidents due to potholes on national highways that killed 4,446 people in 2022, up 25.3% from 3,625 in 2021.

The Union road transport and highways ministry alone allotted Rs 2,600 crore for road maintenance in the current financial year. An amount of Rs 2,573.66 crore was spent in 2022-23 for the purpose.

Needless to say, if the Union ministry can eventually implement it for highways, civic bodies could also consider it in future, ringing the end of one of the most vexatious chapters of road administration in the country.