Hyderabad: For the last two weeks, thanks to a road milling machine, the road from Begumpet till the end of SP Road is getting rougher and rougher, making driving risky, especially for bikers.
A four-kilometre stretch on this road is being scraped as it will be replaced with a new road rather than just adding a new layer over the existing road.
Once this work is done, the road in the opposite direction and even the Begumpet flyover will be scraped for laying a new road along with provision for storm water drains alongside.
This is the first time that this technique is being adopted for laying such a long stretch of road in Hyderabad by the Major Roads Division (MRD) of GHMC.
The present work has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 12 crore.
An MRD official said, “Patching up potholes or adding a new layer on top of an older one is not efficient as undulations are created and water accumulates in the troughs. Bitumen is soluble in water and as a result, soon after rains the BT roads get damaged.
“In the milling method, the road is scraped and undulations are removed using the milling machine, which has a sensor and makes the road even. On top of this scraped road, a new BT road is laid in two layers.
“The gaps due to scraping ensure that there is a firm grip between the earlier and newly laid road."
However, the roads have to be laid within 48 hours of scraping and that is where the work has slowed down.
Scraping work has been conducted till Paradise but laying of the new layer has just started near Begumpet.
The MRD official said, “It is a time consuming process. We are pushing the contractor to get the work done quickly. Scraping and laying of new roads causes discomfort to motorists and that is why these wereavoided till now. However, with this method roads have a longer lifespan.”
Prof N.V. Ramana Rao, civil engineering faculty at JNTU-H said, “Scraping of the road ensures that the bond between the newly laid road and the older one is stronger. However, it has to be ensured that slopes are provided on the road so that rain water does not stagnate and also, that the loose particles are totally blown away once the road is laid.”
