Problems associated with delay in execution of civic projects in the city are set to be tackled with intelligent use of technology.
With one such move, the Chennai Corporation hopes to fast-track the work on restoration of Kodambakkam bridge and open it to the public within two weeks.
The civic body on Wednesday took the first step forward, commencing work on preparation of revised estimates for the work. While the costs will be higher, the savings in terms of reduced work period will be substantial, say engineers.
Basically, manual drilling will give way to advanced cold-milling technique. M60 grade of concrete will be used instead of the M30 permitted under the old estimate made for the work, said an official of the Chennai Corporation.
The proposed system will involve just two days of milling work, two days of concreting and two days of curing. The work will be completed in 12 days with partial traffic diversion. Curing of M30 concrete would have taken 28 days.
With the use of M60 concrete, traffic flow will resume in two days. Shutting out traffic from the bridge for merely six days is enough to complete work on the entire stretch. Under the old system, the bridge would be ready only after August.
The need for using intelligent technology arose because of increasing problems associated with traffic congestion, caused by shutting off the bridge for one-way traffic.
Initially, the traffic police had given permission to divert traffic only for two months. “The traffic police are already finding it difficult to manage the congestion. The slow pace of work may lead to more pressure from the traffic police to complete the work on time,” said the Corporation official.
