Now white-topped roads to keep potholes in check

HYDERABAD: Motorists having a tough time negotiating potholes during the rainy season can say goodbye to their woes soon. After driving on black tar and concrete roads which get damaged easily after a spell of showers, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is planning to switch to white topping roads, which promise to end potholed nightmares.Firstly, the civic body will lay a composite white topping road of about one km between Lakdika- pul and Mehdipatnam at a cost of around Rs 1 crore, on a pilot basis. According to GHMC chief engineer R Dhan Singh, the roads with white topping are cost effective, require relatively less maintenance and have a life span of 10-15 years, without any road cuts.This technology would be extended to other roads based on performance on the stretch, he added.The white topping layer which is generally 7 m wide keeps the road intact during rains, as it prevents water logging. This technology uses fly ash and polymeric fibre, besides cement and sand which strengthen the road surface. This composition is said to give the white topping roads an edge over bitumen ones.Speaking about the process, Dhan Singh said black tar would be milled before laying the white topping over the desired stretch. The thickness of the topping would vary from 20 cm to 25 cm, depending on the traffic flow and soil condition.The technology is widely used in the United States, European and other Asian countries.Recently, the GHMC entered into an agreement with a group of leading private cement companies who have come forward to do the white topping on roads free of cost. These companies have laid white topping roads in cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Jaipur and Delhi.