Kerala PWD implements various technologies for strong resilient roads

Kerala’s roads have historically suffered during the monsoon season. The Public Works Department (PWD) has implemented the Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) technology in an effort to remedy this and ensure that the state’s roads have a solid foundation. In Kollam, road construction employing FDR has already begun. Thiruvananthapuram will host the first phase of the work before it moves on to other districts. In addition to this, PWD has chosen to use weather-resistant technologies to build longer-lasting roads. It has almost finished the study that the Kerala Highway Research Institute (KHRI) was charged with conducting.

The use of weather-resistant technology will start during this monsoon season to ensure that road development and maintenance is finished on schedule, according to a source. For better, more resilient roads, PWD has also implemented cutting-edge technologies including soil nailing, geocell technology, cement treated sub-base, and pavement grade concrete in addition to FDR.

FDR is a pavement rehabilitation process that involves uniformly pulverising and blending the entire flexible pavement section and a specific amount of the underlying materials to create a homogeneous, stabilised base course. The Kerala Road Fund Board-Project Management Unit (PMU) uses FDR in a number of projects that are being carried out. Four highways of 46.23 kilometres in length are being built in Kollam using FDR. The tender amount is Rs 1.10 billion. Five roads in Thiruvananthapuram, totaling 29.72 kilometres, will be built utilising the technique and its tender amount is Rs 679.4 million.

The government aims to promote sustainable and environment-friendly construction, which will also be weather resistant. We are implementing innovative road construction methods after inspecting the characteristics of each area. Developing roads using FDR technology is important for durability,” Public Works Minister P A Mohamed Riyas told TNIE. He said in phase 1, nine roads in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam will be developed using FDR. The project will be expanded to other districts,” said the source.

To increase the performance and durability of the state's roadways that are subject to temperature changes, PWD plans to implement the superpave asphalt mix design approach, according to a KHRI study. This technique results in more durable, crack-resistant roads. KHRI has chosen to start a pilot project to use recycled asphalt pavement in road building and is also considering recycling as one of the main choices in road rehabilitation. There are talks with IIT-Chennai to work together on the same.