Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) is proposing to bring a permanent solution to the issue of bad roads and potholes on SP Ring Road, in response to repeated complaints from residents and commuters.
In the near future, it will use Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) on service roads and all impending flyovers on the 76-kilometer SP Ring Road.
The RCC service roads will be built before work on the flyovers begins so that commuters are not inconvenienced as they are currently. After the RCC roads are completed, the construction area of the flyover will be barricaded for public safety.
AUDA has proposed building 11 new flyovers on the SP Ring Road, five of which would be located in the city’s western outskirts. A three-kilometer radius around the SP Ring Road is zoned for Residential Affordable Housing (RAH), which will benefit many residents.
“Residents of Bopal, Shela, Ghuma, Sindhu Bhavan Road, Science City, Ognaj, Vaishnodevi Circle, Tapovan circle, Khyati Circle etc, who use SP Ring Road for regular commuting, will be benefited the most,” an AUDA official said.
“When the work starts at a flyover on SP Ring Road, the entire vehicle load falls on the service road on the side of the under-construction flyover. RCC roads will take care of this. Also, movement of heavy vehicles increases the wear and tear of the roads as they aren’t built to take as much load,” the official said.
AUDA currently constructs roads out of bitumen, which has a life expectancy of three to five years. However, RCC roads are expected to last 40 years because to their thick, durable concrete surface, which is well-suited for heavy industrial uses.
RCC roads can also be used for both low-speed and arterial roads. For the first time, AUDA will construct RCC roads on a 15-kilometer portion of the 76-kilometer SP Ring Road.
For the project, AUDA has applied for a loan from Asian Development Bank (ADB). As per an AUDA official, “A 950 crore loan has been sought for the 11 flyovers and RCC roads beside these flyovers. The cost of constructing bitumen roads alongside the flyovers is about Rs 65 crore, but if we replace it with RCC roads the budget goes up to Rs 80-85 crore.”
According to the official, while the difference in cost for RCC road is Rs 15-20 crore, its durability increases by 8-13 times. AUDA will begin issuing tenders as soon as the paperwork is complete.