State tries out Australian technology to repair roads

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is experimenting with an Australian technology called Epoxy Polymer that promises quick repair of damaged concrete roads and permits immediate usage.u00a0Recently, the corporation used this technology on 22km on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway, where 60 square panels measuring 3.5x3.5 metres were repaired. The work began in October and ended in mid-November.u00a0

This was done after a construction firm from Australia called Uratech India Ltd made a presentation four months ago and the MSRDC decided to use it on experimental basis. According to the MSRDC engineers, the lower base of the square panels loosen over a period of time, causing them to sink and finally break.u00a0

The new technology involves drilling a hole on the top of a panel and then injecting a liquid through a special pipe, which fills in the cracks before solidifying. Most importantly, the stretch of road can be freed for use within four hours, thus drastically reducing the 'curing' period of almost fifteen days. In the existing repair techniques, the panels need to be removed completely before beginning repair works.u00a0

MSRDC Executive Engineer AP Abrol said that they would observe the results for a year or two before floating tenders to companies offering similar technologies. "The work has been carried out by contractor Mhaiskar Infrastructure who procured the material from Uratech. We repaired two panels in one day thereby completing 60 panels in one month," he added.u00a0

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