A road developed under the City Road Improvement Project (CRIP) is getting a mid-life makeover, becoming the first to get a resurfacing.
The 300-metre stretch of the six-lane road from Kowdiar junction to Trivandrum Tennis Club has become uneven from wear and tear and the effect of bird droppings.
The stretch, part of the four-km Kowdiar-R.R. Lamp road developed in February 2006, has stood the test of time, staying relatively pothole-free and offering a cosy ride for motorists.
The decision to resurface it was taken after a bump-integrator test carried out by Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Company Ltd., implementing agency of CRIP, revealed that the surface needs a small profile correction.
Using a paver, the stretch will be given a 2.5-cm semi-dense bituminous concrete layer.
Two-day work
“Luckily, there are no settlements, and the junction is not affected by the wear and tear due to urban traffic. The resurfacing will take two days, and we are planning to take it up before the monsoon,” Anilkumar Pandala, Vice-President of the company, told The Hindu .
Durability
The work is expected to cost around Rs. 25 lakh, coming under the 15-year maintenance contract. Mr. Pandala said the main reason for the durability of the road was the perfect bonding made possible by a computerised hot-mix plant, which cost Rs. 3.5 crore.
Work on these roads began with a 30-mm granular sub-base, which comprises graded stones and functions as a drainage layer. A proper slope and clear discharge points have been provided to prevent the road from sinking.
The next layer is wet-mix macadam that filters water. It comprises a 20-cm quarry-dust aggregate mechanically mixed using a digitally controlled machine. Above it is bituminous macadam.
Tests are now being carried out on other CRIP road stretches.
