The Highways department is repairing one of the barriers on Kolli Hills Ghat Road using the Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) technology to prevent landslides here. Officials here said that this is the first time RCC technology is being used to construct retaining walls on Kolli Hills Ghat Road.
Officials from the Highways department recently noticed that a few stones off the barrier walls at the hairpin curve 42 here. Steps were taken to repair the barrier wall which was earlier constructed using dry stones. There are 70 hairpin curves in Kolli Hills. According to officials, the works which began on July 12 is expected to be over in a month.
Officials said that the dry stone structure here was constructed between 1956-1961 and RCC technology would work effectively against landslides in the Hills. Officials said that RCC barriers are being constructed at a cost of ₹65 lakh and the retaining wall is being constructed as a five-layered structure which varies at a height of 6 to 10 metres. The base footing of the structure would have a footing of four metres and it would reduce as it reaches the top layer.
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According to officials, the RCC structure would provide increase carriageway for the vehicles on Ghat Road. Officials said that weep holes have been provided at each metre to drain rainwater.