Assam: PWD to use new Eco-Fix technology to repair potholes in state

MoUs signed; trial runs planned in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Tezpur and Silchar

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: To repair potholes in the roads across the state, the PWD will now use a new technology. The new technology will enable vehicles to traverse the repaired portions of roads within a few minutes of the work being completed.

PWD sources said that the new technology is called ‘Eco-Fix’, and the state government has already signed MoUs with CSIR-CRRI (Central Roads and Research Institute). A trial run of the new technology has already been carried out on potholes in Guwahati roads. “After Guwahati, the Eco-Fix technology will be used on a trial basis in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Tezpur and Silchar. We are now evaluating this technique for wider implementation. After completing some formalities, we will be able to use the technology on a larger scale before the monsoon season. It will primarily be used in urban areas in the state.”

The sources further said that the potholes get bigger in size after rainfall occurs. But use of the new technology will not be hampered, and the roads can be repaired even during the rains.

Eco-Fix is a technology that makes use of industrial waste material of steel and iron slag. It can be used to repair the waterlogged potholes without any dewatering requirement. Especially during the rainy season, the hot-mix plant cannot be operated. The Eco-Fix technique will be a boon to the state roads for carrying out repairs in the rainy season.

A retired engineer of the PWD said, “Potholes on roads generally appear during the rainy season, and these go on increasing in size. There is no technology to repair the potholes when it is raining. The existing system of repairing potholes requires them to be dried out before any repair work can be done. But Eco-Fix will enable instant repairing. However, it is hard to say right now whether the technology will be feasible in our state, keeping in mind the climate and our road conditions.”

Sources also said the Eco-Fix will decrease air pollution, which arises from the operation of hot plants. As the application of Eco-Fix is done without heating any aggregate material and the bitumen, it also significantly lowers the greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere caused by regular road maintenance activities.

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