Reconstruction of potholed roads begins in Malerkotla

Taking note of the dilapidated condition of several roads falling under the jurisdiction of civic bodies of the region, authorities have launched a drive to undertake construction and repair of potholed roads.

Though residents have heaved a sigh of relief over the restoration of work of development projects, the quality of work could be hit due to adverse weather conditions when the pre-mix would be laid for metalling.

The freezing and thawing of bitumen due to cold weather can damage the non-bituminous pavement layers.

However, chiefs at municipal councils claimed to have advised the technical personnel to ensure that standards and specifications are not compromised at any cost.

The pace of development works had slowed down due to various reasons including implication of Amargarh legislator Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra in a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate. Now that Gajjanmajra has been released on bail, authorities at the civic bodies of the constituency have restored pending construction works.

According to experts, weather conditions are not so important for undertaking interlock tile work and covering of drains, but the premix requires specific conditions for laying and settling of bitumen.

The bitumen should be heated to a temperature between 150°C and 175°C for the construction of roads and the temperature should not differ from the binder temperature by more than 14°C.

As high viscosity and low penetration bitumen is being used by most civic bodies, higher temperatures are preferred during its laying, which may not be possible for roads being constructed these days, said an engineer.

Vikas Krishan Sharma, president, Municipal Council, Ahmedgarh, said the authorities concerned had been advised to ensure that quality and life expectancy of roads being constructed are not affected. “Though we had to start construction work of certain roads due to unavoidable circumstances, we have advised the technical personnel to ensure that the premix is laid strictly according to standards and specifications of the department,” said Sharma.