The Salem Corporation has introduced the system of re-laying the narrow streets where the underground drainage works had already been completed using the cement paver blocks.
The laying of paver block streets is cost effective with long life expectancy.
The underground drainage works had already been completed in many areas in the city. The Chief Minister, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, recently inaugurated the work of re-laying of roads at an outlay of ₹ 94.39 crore in the areas where the drainage works had already been completed.
Usually, the corporation used to lay bitumen roads. The laying of bitumen roads increased the height of the streets in the residential localities, due to which the surface level of houses get lowered down. This led to flooding of the houses during the monsoon period and floods.
The city accounted for many narrow streets and moving the equipments and raw materials to the narrow streets is a difficult task. Moreover, one square meter tar road construction cost is put at ₹ 1,100, which is considered to be on the higher side.
Taking these things into account, R. Sadheesh, Corporation Commissioner, decided on using the paver blocks technology for the relaying of narrow streets. The road construction cost adopting paver block technology was worked out to ₹ 810 a square meter. The corporation will be saving about ₹ 11 lakh by adopting the paver block technology for re-laying road for 1 km.
According to experts in the field of construction industry, concrete blocks are an ideal choice for both residential and commercial applications, including surface coverings for driveways, parking lots, promenades, side walks, pool decks, and roof gardens.
Concrete blocks have many advantages such as low cost, availability of unlimited payer styles and colours, easy installation, maintenance free, and life expectancy. The roads laid using paver blocks will also guarantee quick drainage of water avoiding inundation during the monsoon period.
The corporation has already commenced the work of relaying of streets in Kondalampatti zone in the first phase by using the paver blocks. The same technology will be extended to other three zones also when road relaying works are undertaken, Mr. Sadheesh said.
The even surface of the roads could be maintained under this technology even at the mouth of the manholes of the underground drainage system.
Yet another advantage of paver blocks is that there was no need for any patch work. At present, whenever new water connections are sanctioned, the roads are dug for laying the pipeline and later closed. This leads to permanent unevenness.
Under the paver block technology, the blocks could be easily removed and could be reassembled without any damage after the completion of pipe laying works, Mr. Sadheesh said. The paver blocks road could also hold vehicles with weight up to 40 tonnes.
In future, only arterial roads in the city will be bitumen roads and all the narrow streets will only have paver block roads, the Commissioner said.
