Monsoons are here again. We, the highway engineers of India, have successfully brainwashed the Indian public in believing that potholes are not manmade but a natural phenomenon which does occur during every monsoon. Monsoons are in India only for about three months. What if our highway engineers are sent to Europe and US where it rains almost throughout the year? In that case potholes would occur there throughout the year. There is no question our potholes are caused by (a) wrong selection of some bituminous mixes which soak up water such as Bituminous Macadam (BM), Semi Dense Bituminous Concrete (SDBC) and premix carpet (in urban areas), and (b) poor quality construction even when dense mixes are used. Any way, we have got now potholes, potholes, and more potholes. What can we do about it now during monsoons? The following are three options:
1. Do nothing now as usual. Wait until monsoons are over by mid-September. During this time potholes will multiply in numbers, will get larger and deeper. Let the public suffer in accidents (including fatalities), wastage of diesel/petrol, automobile repair costs, user delays, etc. If there is too much public outcry and photographs of potholed roads appear in the local newspapers, go out and fill the potholes with soil or stones, which would be washed away in the next rain. Do it again. Tell the public nothing can be done because potholes are wet and hot mix plants are shut down. Unfortunately, this is the general story throughout India. The “Aam Aadmi” has told me time and again, it is done intentionally by us, the highway engineers of India, so that we can make more money when repairs are made with hot mix after monsoons, by which time the potholes are dominating our streets and highways.
2. Use some patented cold pothole mix supplied in 50-kg bags and pay an arm and a leg since it is very expensive.
3. Use a generic, “idiot-proof”, cold pothole patching mix, which can be made by any contractor in a hot mix plant in your town or city. It can be made NOW. Its price would be less than 1/3 of the patented cold mix. It is idiot proof because it does not require any preparation of pothole as is required in case of hot mix patching such as squaring the pothole by cutting its edges, tack coating, and good compaction. You can place this idiot proof patching mix in a wet pothole, hit with a hand rammer, and walk away. It will be there for more than 4-5 years. It has a storage life of more than 6 months. If there is any left over, bring it back and deposit on the stockpile. Not only during monsoons, it can also be used throughout the year effectively. The in-place cost of this idiot proof mix patching is only 5% more than the in-place cost of hot mix patching. Considering that (a) hot mix cannot be used during rainy season during which period potholes grow bigger and deeper requiring more hot mix eventually, (b) wastage of hot mix due to cooling, (c) user delay costs, (d) wear and tear of motor vehicles, and (e) excessive wastage of diesel/petrol by motor vehicles, etc., the cost of timely in-place cold patching is likely to be less than half that of the in-place hot mix patching. What else do we want?
If you are a conscientious highway engineer, who loves his/her country, I am sure you would choose option 3 above without making any lame excuses as to why it cannot be done (this is a science we have perfected in India). All the nuts and bolts of producing this idiot proof mix and its specifications (if you want to invite tenders today) are given in simple language in the following paper published by the Indian Roads Congress together with cost analyses and Q and A. You can download this paper at the following link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/19380290/A-Simple-and-Effective-Method-of-Repairing-Potholes-in-India
Article Submitted by:
Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal
Retired Highway Engineer, Jaipur
27 July 2010
1. Do nothing now as usual. Wait until monsoons are over by mid-September. During this time potholes will multiply in numbers, will get larger and deeper. Let the public suffer in accidents (including fatalities), wastage of diesel/petrol, automobile repair costs, user delays, etc. If there is too much public outcry and photographs of potholed roads appear in the local newspapers, go out and fill the potholes with soil or stones, which would be washed away in the next rain. Do it again. Tell the public nothing can be done because potholes are wet and hot mix plants are shut down. Unfortunately, this is the general story throughout India. The “Aam Aadmi” has told me time and again, it is done intentionally by us, the highway engineers of India, so that we can make more money when repairs are made with hot mix after monsoons, by which time the potholes are dominating our streets and highways.
2. Use some patented cold pothole mix supplied in 50-kg bags and pay an arm and a leg since it is very expensive.
3. Use a generic, “idiot-proof”, cold pothole patching mix, which can be made by any contractor in a hot mix plant in your town or city. It can be made NOW. Its price would be less than 1/3 of the patented cold mix. It is idiot proof because it does not require any preparation of pothole as is required in case of hot mix patching such as squaring the pothole by cutting its edges, tack coating, and good compaction. You can place this idiot proof patching mix in a wet pothole, hit with a hand rammer, and walk away. It will be there for more than 4-5 years. It has a storage life of more than 6 months. If there is any left over, bring it back and deposit on the stockpile. Not only during monsoons, it can also be used throughout the year effectively. The in-place cost of this idiot proof mix patching is only 5% more than the in-place cost of hot mix patching. Considering that (a) hot mix cannot be used during rainy season during which period potholes grow bigger and deeper requiring more hot mix eventually, (b) wastage of hot mix due to cooling, (c) user delay costs, (d) wear and tear of motor vehicles, and (e) excessive wastage of diesel/petrol by motor vehicles, etc., the cost of timely in-place cold patching is likely to be less than half that of the in-place hot mix patching. What else do we want?
If you are a conscientious highway engineer, who loves his/her country, I am sure you would choose option 3 above without making any lame excuses as to why it cannot be done (this is a science we have perfected in India). All the nuts and bolts of producing this idiot proof mix and its specifications (if you want to invite tenders today) are given in simple language in the following paper published by the Indian Roads Congress together with cost analyses and Q and A. You can download this paper at the following link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/19380290/A-Simple-and-Effective-Method-of-Repairing-Potholes-in-India
Article Submitted by:
Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal
Retired Highway Engineer, Jaipur
27 July 2010
