White Topping of Roads | 07 Sep 2024
The Union government is developing a policy to reinforce aging national highways using a technique known as white-topping, aimed at extending their lifespan.
- The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been instructed to prioritise the upgrading of national highways to address maintenance concerns.
- NHAI was established under the NHAI Act of 1988 under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
- It oversees the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) and other projects.
- India's national highway network covers about 146,000 kilometers.
- Whitetopping is the process of applying an 100-200 mm overlay of cement concrete (bonded or unbonded) to existing bituminous roads (made using a mixture of asphalt and aggregate materials) for rehabilitation or structural strengthening.
- Cement Concrete is a construction material made by mixing cement, water, aggregates (like sand and gravel), and often additives for building roads, bridges and other structures due to its strength, durability, and versatility.
- The technique offers fuel savings as vehicles consume less fuel on concrete roads, reduces carbon emissions, mitigates the urban heat island effect, and improves safety by enhancing the reflection of vehicle lights.
- It also requires less energy for external lighting due to its reflective properties.
