Construction procurement experts and equipment providers discussed trends in upgrading products with advanced BS-IV equipment and solutions to cater to the booming road construction demand. 

India has the world’s second-largest road network, spanning 5.89 million kilometers. Despite the pandemic and lockdown, India has successfully developed 13298 km of highways. With this progress in the construction and infrastructure sectors, roads and bridges will continue to be the primary demand drivers for asphalt plants and pavers in India.

Present trends and concerns 

Everyone is concerned about rising pollution and climate change caused by ongoing building and infrastructure activities. By having BS4, all OEMs and material suppliers strive toward introducing and utilising superior technology. Second, gradually increasing the number of Construction and Demolition can help you reduce emissions. Most significantly, having high quality gasoline will cut pollution even further.

In addition, there are specific additional issues that we may manage and contain at the project site level, such as avoiding throwing away trash or old material, keeping it correctly, or disposing of it through the proper method.

“Regarding technology, I feel we are heading on the correct path. In the future, the equipment utilised will reduce both production and pollution. And, as we can see now, batching plants are also crushers, and they are of greater quality, which implies less pollution than equipment from five or ten years ago”, says Munish Taneja, President, Indiabulls Store One.

“We call it carbon footprints, and all of the R&D teams are continually attempting to decrease the carbon footprints printed on concrete because concrete tends to release more carbon, producing reactions,” says Sridhara C N, Associate Director – Technical & Marketing, Preca Solutions India Pvt. Ltd on pollution. Puzzolana materials are waste products from thermal power plants, such as silica, GGBS, and Microsilica. When such materials are misused, they can result in a range of health issues. 

From a solution provider’s perspective, Vikas Sharma, Director – Genesis Infra Projects Consultant, says it depends on whether you want freeways or city roads. Stone metric asphalt or bitumen is excellent for motorways or expressways, while thin white topping or white topping is appropriate for city roads. We are utilising mastic asphalt, which is not advised since it becomes slippery during the wet season, resulting in accidents.

Innovations in technology and materials help you to achieve project deadlines

“Equipment is a critical component in every construction project. Because there are several manufacturers available, you must estimate the amount you must handle, as well as how much per day or month progress you require if you pick the suitable quality and quantity”, explains Munish.

“Equipment with technologies have been leveraged to increase the working cycle time and equipment utilisation enhancement. Increased uptime of equipment due to remote monitoring of equipment health, live access to  machine operations, loading design data to equipment directly through remote location, reduced time for a survey, and gradually reduced workforce requirements with better accuracy,” says Ratanlal Kashyap, Sr. VP – Procurement, GR Infraprojects Limited. By eliminating multilayer communication and coordination between multiple departments, related construction equipment interacting with each other can reduce contraction timelines. 

Benefits of Precast construction 

Here, Sridhara emphasises the advantages of using precast technology for constructing roads and bridges, stating that precast roads are possible. Still, their application has to be significant in India. Precast roads are already in use in places like Bangalore and areas of the north. Our R&D chief engineer has been a driving force behind the use of precast constructing roadways.

Procurement challenges 

Today’s most significant issue for roads and bridges is obtaining equipment on schedule. Clients will always strive to plan projects well in advance, but this is often impossible owing to various external and local issues. Because of the lien duration, the equipment requirements may change.

They will require fewer computers at peak periods or when the execution is at its height. Commenting on the same, Munish says, “So, if a client wants to complete such tasks on schedule while still controlling expenses, renting or leasing is a smart option. Globally, all major building and infrastructure corporations use them and can keep their prices well within their budgets.”

Sridhara discusses the difficulties encountered with the building of bitumen roads. “Normally, bitumen roads have a season where water enters underneath the bitumen, causing additional damage to the construction, leading to potholes and uneven constructions,” he explains. As a result, if the bitumen is particularly weak and water enters, the surface will sink. If it is a pre-stress element, it will take more deflections and vibrations when the vehicle movement comes in, and road maintenance has been substantially reduced.

“Raw materials are a huge concern because we can easily access raw materials in the city,” explains Vikas. Obtaining raw materials for roadway and bridge-building is difficult. Nobody thinks that the government’s money spent on road maintenance can save.. It would indeed be helpful if the precast pieces were included. “On rare occasions, we obtain raw materials from 100–120 kilometres away. Although raw materials are less expensive, transportation is expensive. As a result, getting raw materials is becoming increasingly challenging. During the COVID era, it was considerably more difficult. The environmental control board has shut down several of the quarries. That was yet another concern. “In my opinion, the best answer is to rehab it so that we may grind the present surface and reuse and recycle the aggregates.” As a consequence, we’ll be able to get more raw materials from them,” he continues.

And In terms of equipment, technology should be deployed more to improve road conditions. When it comes to roads, getting the smooth layer, the proper bends, and the right angles on the road is crucial. Here, Munish believes we can have a better, more sustainable, and high quality infrastructure if we employ technology correctly or have the skilled workforce accessing and implementing better technologies. 

Opportunities in road and bridge construction 

Increased emphasis on road and highway construction will transform the whole construction and infrastructure business. Such openness and development will generate a myriad of infrastructure project alternatives. The sector sees favourable growth and economic prospects in India due to this tremendous concentration. The administration is continually enthusiastic about implementing innovative infrastructure development initiatives. With the government’s enhanced emphasis, we uncover exemplary implementation of timetables in project completion. 

OEMs and material suppliers are striving toward introducing and utilising superior technology.
Munish Taneja, President, Indiabulls Store One

Our R&D teams are constantly working to reduce the carbon footprints printed on concrete. Shridhara C.N., Associate Director – Technical & Marketing, Preca Solutions India Pvt. Ltd.

Stone metric asphalt and bitumen are excellent for motorways or expressways.
Vikas Sharma, Director, Genesis Infra Projects Consultant

Stringent tender conditions have compelled contractors to use best-in-class equipment and solutions for roads and bridges.
Ratanlal Kashyap, Sr. VP – Procurement, GR Infraprojects Limited