Centre to Goa: Use precast slabs for greener roadworks
Panaji:
Goa has been told by the Union ministry of road transport and highways in new construction guidelines to use precast concrete segments for highway and other centrally sponsored road projects to minimise delays and reduce pollution.
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The ministry stated that projects costing more than Rs 300 crore should now mandatorily include the provision to use precast concrete, which can be either factory-made or precast at the project site.
'The ministry has directed that the use of precast concrete should initially be taken up for non-critical components of highway projects such as box culverts, stormwater drain cum footpaths, boundary walls, RCC crash barriers, pedestrian railings, etc.,'
said an official.
In Goa, precast segments are already being used in the construction of the Rs 364 crore elevated six-lane corridor at Porvorim. The 1,431 segments for the superstructure of the flyover are being precast at the workstation created at Sangolda.
States have been told that a contractor's yard, where precast segments are made, should be as close to the construction site as possible.
'We have been told that engineers should strictly check that the required quality standards are met, especially when the contractor decides to use factory-made precast segments,' said an official.
'The benefits of using precast segments, it is felt, will be more in urban areas as it will help expedite the project and reduce air pollution in these congested areas.'
The Rs 1,403 crore cable-stayed new Zuari bridge also used 53 structural steel segments with precast slabs in each section of the bridge.
'The ministry feels that precast slabs also provide improved quality and durability due to factory-controlled production and enhanced aesthetics and structural uniformity,' said an official.
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'The ministry plans to make the use of 70-80% precast concrete elements mandatory.'
Bendordem to Canacona bypass, Canacona bypass to Polem, and Bhoma to Old Goa stretch are some of the projects worth over Rs 300 crore that have been recently sanctioned for Goa by the ministry, where these new construction guidelines will apply.
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