Hyderabad: A majority of the commuters who have travelled by Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation’s much-hy-ped white-topped ISB Road at Gachibowli feel that the road is not up to par. They say that it feels like the road of a small town. Commuters have taken to Twitter to vent about the shoddy construction of the road, which many believe is as bad as a mud road.
The concrete road was opened to the public on September 12. It has a rough, gravelled surface which gives commuters the feeling of driving over potholes. “I have better roads back in my hometown. We heard that the road would be white-topped, and it was shut for five months; we expec-ted a high-quality road,” says Shashank Shekhar, a frequent user of the road.
The authorities, however, say that it was a conscious technical decision to give the road a surface which would produce greater friction. “Con-crete roads are rigid, whereas traditional bitumen-topped roads are more flexible; they mould themselves as per the weight of vehicles. Con-crete roads produce a rougher ride,” says Ram Mohan, an officer who worked for this project. He says that scratches were introduced on purpose during casting to increase friction and thus help prevent the skidding of vehicles.
Dr N.V. Ramana Rao, a professor of civil engineering at the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological Un-iversity Hyderabad, says, “We can overcome skidding of vehicles by introducing evenly spaced patterns and lines. However, we will know of any defects in quality only after visiting the site.”
Experts from the Indian Road Congress say there are specific guidelines for the construction of whi-te-topped roads, which differ based on the ex-pected traffic load. “If the road has been made ro-ugh, they can mend it. The road users comfort is important. They must run a trial and work on its outcome,” says an official from technical team.
