Engineers must be present on site during roadworks in Mumbai, says additional civic commissioner

Additional civic commissioner Abhijit Bangar addresses a workshop for engineers at IIT-Mumbai on Thursday.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has undertaken road concretisation projects, which will be carried out over the next three months in the city.

In this regard, a workshop for engineers from the Roads and Traffic Department was held at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Mumbai on Thursday to discuss the challenges of maintaining the highest quality standards during construction.

During the workshop, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar emphasised that engineers must be present at the site during roadworks. He also stressed the importance of focusing on quality while speeding up the concretisation work. "Due to lower temperatures at night, the concretisation work is being conducted during the night. As such, secondary engineers and assistant engineers are also required to be on-site during night shifts," said Bangar.

The ongoing cement concreting works are currently at a midpoint stage. Senior officials from the Municipal Corporation, along with experts from IIT-Bombay and representatives from the Quality Monitoring Agency (QMA), have been visiting the sites where the concretisation work is underway to make significant observations.

BMC said it is holding similar workshops to discuss achieving the highest standards of quality for roadworks, challenges in execution, and resolving any doubts engineers may have.

During Thursday's workshop, Bangar explained that the cement concreting work is an integral part of the quality urban services being provided to Mumbaikars.

The implementation of the cement concrete road projects within the municipal area is proceeding effectively and swiftly, he informed. "It is crucial that these roads are of the highest quality. Therefore, engaging in discussions with IIT-Bombay's experts and receiving guidance is vital," said Bangar, highlighting the necessity for engineers to be extremely vigilant during the execution of any project to avoid any flaws in quality or technical aspects.

Dr KV Krishnarao, Deputy Director of IIT-Bombay, also shared his insights during the workshop. He spoke on the technological criteria and standards for designing concrete roads, factoring in Mumbai's temperature and traffic conditions and discussed the ideal methods for jointing and the application of appropriate technology to prevent cracks, enhancing the roads' durability. Dr Krishnarao explained that joint cutting at the right place and time is essential to prevent cracks and to extend the lifespan of the roads. Additionally, he emphasised the importance of 'texturing' the surface of Pavement Quality Concrete (PQC) layers, which improves tyre grip, water runoff, and overall road durability.

Other IIT-Bombay experts addressed various aspects of road quality, such as the types of cracks that occur in cement concrete roads, their causes, and possible solutions. They highlighted how applying the right technology at the right time can prevent cracks.

Over 300 trainees, including engineers from the Municipal Corporation, quality inspection agencies, and contractors, participated in this interactive workshop. The engineers actively engaged in discussions and raised numerous questions, all of which were answered by the experts, including Dr Krishnarao and Professor Solomon Dibbarm.