PUNE: When roads across the city asphalted just before the monsoon are crumbling, Jangli Maharaj Road has been pothole free for decades. A long-lasting road is possible only if there is quality material used and the workmanship is good, said civic activist Vivek Velankar.
Former municipal commissioner of Pune Mahesh Zagade said good quality material, planning for the future and the weight or load exerted on the roads matter.
“For Jangli Maharaj Road, the best quality material was used and it was maintained throughout the process. The contractor, Recondo, used the best technology at the time and hence the road is pothole free even after 35 years,” he said.
He said future planning to ensure that a road need not be dug up is necessary. “Ducts for cable laying and storm water drains should be wide enough and along the edges of the road to ensure that they need not be dug once done. The excess axle load due to heavy vehicles can ruin a road,” he added.
Zagade said every road is built to take only a certain axle weight, the total weight transmitted to the road by all the wheels on it. When heavy vehicles are allowed to carry more weight than permitted then the excess load hampers the quality of the roads, he added.
One agency should work in the entire city to ensure that the ducts are laid under the footpaths and are wide enough for the data cables, storm water drains and pipelines. “JM Road has this and hence has never been dug up for civic works.”
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