IIT achieves innovation in road-making

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) has made a path breaking technological innovation in road making, which will not only costs significantly less but have longer life compared to ordinary pitch road in villages.

The development has been done by B B Pandey, Professor Emeritus of the Civil Engineering Department, IIT-KGP under the Institute's mission project 'Technology Travels to Villages'.

"This technology, will be costing around 60 per cent of that of ordinary concrete road with a much longer durability for 18 to 20 years compared to traditional technology," said Pandey exclusively to Business Standard.

The cost of constructing a pitch road in village is typically Rs 28-29 lakh per kilometre and that of concrete road is Rs 38-39 lakh per kilometre.

"The new technology, 'modular construction in-situ cast concrete block pavement', will be costing nearly 60 per cent of that of ordinary concrete road in village soil. The durability of road constructed using this technology will be 20 years compared to ordinary pitch road has to be repaired once every 5 years," he added.

The first experimental road, that was inaugurated today, has already been constructed in Rakhalgeria village, predominantly inhabited by backward communities and the entire cost of construction has been borne by IIT-KGP. The cost advantage will primarily arise from the thickness of concrete in the roads, Pandey explained.

"The technology will use special type of concrete will low amount of water. Moreover, cubicles made of polythene sheets would be build on the main foundation, further on which the final concretisation will be done. This method allows the road thickness to become 75-100 millimetre (mm), as compared to 200 mm thickness in usual case," he added. IIT-KGP has already applied for patent of this technology, noted Pandey.

Pandey further said he would shortly be experimenting with few more road construction technology over 500 meter stretch in rate in Kharagpur region.

"I am looking forward to experiment will some more technology that has already been developed at the laboratory. The test construction will be constructed shortly stretching over 500 mt length," Pandey said.

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IIT's pathbreaking innovation

• Roadmaking cost to be significantly less and their life is going to be longer
• The development has been done by B B Pandey, Professor Emeritus of the Civil Engineering Department, IIT-Kharagpur
• The technology will use special type of concrete will lower amount of water
• The cost of constructing a pitch road in village is typically Rs 28-29 lakh per kilometre and that of concrete road is Rs 38-39 lakh per kilometre