RAMANATHAPURAM
Drive on the 2.345-km-long Annai Indira Gandhi Bridge, popularly known as Pamban road bridge, connecting Rameswaram island to the mainland, could no longer be rough, thanks to laying of ‘mastic asphalt’, the deformation-resistant and durable surfacing material.
Mastic asphalt, a mixture of bitumen, lime, quarry dust and chips to make the surface even and give a cushion effect without increasing the ‘dead load’, is being laid for the first time, 28 years after the bridge was thrown open for traffic by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on October 2, 1988.
“The National Highways (NH) has decided to use the stone matrix asphalt, a German technology, as it is not possible to remove the existing 12 mm concrete layer on the bridge and lay a fresh layer,” official source said.
The NH had dropped the idea of removing the concrete layer as it could cause wear and tear to the bridge, the sources said. “As the uneven concrete surface on the bridge has worn out, mastic asphalt became the only option,” they added.
The mastic asphalt course, with 15% bitumen, 30% lime and quarry dust each and 25% chips, was being laid at total cost of ₹1.1 crore. As it was being laid manually with the temperature ranging from 170 centigrade to 200 centigrade, it would take about two months to complete the work, the sources said.
The work began recently from the Mandapam end of the bridge with 15 workers engaged in laying the specialised surface. The laying would be time-consuming as the workers laid 28 square metres a day and the mixture took about three hours to set in, the sources said.
The bridge was given a facelift three years ago at a cost of about ₹20 crore when it entered the silver jubilee year.
In the wholesome renovation, the bridge was given a full coat of anti-corrosive paint.
As part of the renovation, all the 592 elastomeric neoprene bearings were replaced with new bearings. The bridge, designed like a bow over the sea to allow ships to pass beneath, was supported by 79 piers, 64 of which were built in the sea.
