To meet our future needs, we must design roads with a vision at least 20 years ahead. One effective approach is to utilise precast roads as a foundational infrastructure. This allows for better control over both speed and quality throughout the construction process, enabling us to achieve the desired outcomes.

Designing roads with a long-term vision is crucial to meet future transportation needs. However, our current infrastructure development falls short, necessitating additional improvements within a short timeframe. To overcome these challenges, it is essential to incorporate essential features such as rainwater harvesting systems and stormwater drains into our pavement planning. This article explores how precast technology can address design challenges, enhance efficiency, and streamline project timelines, leading to a more sustainable and robust road network.

Overcoming design challenges for electrical and network services with precast roads

There are certain design issues related to electrical and network services that are currently being overlooked. To address these concerns, we should incorporate all these elements when utilising precast roads as the foundational infrastructure. This approach allows for better control over both speed and quality during the construction process, minimising traffic disruptions. By implementing precast roads, we can cover many kilometers in a day without causing traffic congestion, particularly when executing projects spanning approximately 10 kilometers of road.

Addressing topographical and embankment challenges for national highways

Designing roads in remote areas presents numerous challenges, including topographical obstacles and contour planning. For regions with heavy rainfall like the western region, traditional bitumen-based road construction may face execution difficulties. However, there are alternative technologies available to address these challenges and accommodate such issues in the design.

Here, Mir Mohammed Ali Khan, Manufacturing Head for Precast at Suraksha Smart City emphasises “While designing levels and curves is relatively straightforward, our embankment system for National Highways still needs improvement. It becomes essential to incorporate tunnels and road crossings to cater to vital services.” Given the circumstances, our attention to detail in providing these services is crucial. The planning phase often encounters significant hurdles related to land acquisition and obtaining government clearances, which can be time-consuming.

To streamline project timelines, planning can be done in sections or as a whole, enabling parallel activities. Road production can even commence in advance, effectively reducing project duration by half. Although precast bridges have gained popularity, there are still untapped opportunities for implementing new technologies in our country. Currently, we utilise segmental constructions for bridges, integrating pre-stressed beams and post-dressing beams.

Streamlining project timelines and resource management with precast roads

Given the availability of abundant resources and the importance of proper planning and adopting suitable technology, I, as a precast expert, believe that precast technology can significantly enhance our infrastructure. It allows us to elevate execution and planning to a different level. Additionally, the design can also accommodate necessary changes effectively. Currently, there are several ongoing projects in our country, but they only incorporate simple ideas such as drains, without considering the construction of complete road sections.

Enhancing planning and execution efficiency with precast technology Incorporating precast technology into our infrastructure planning offers a solution to address various challenges. Implementing precast technology can reduce manpower requirements by at least 60 percent, simplifying resource management. Additionally, it enables better control over safety during project execution. Time-saving benefits are also substantial, as evidenced by L&T’s recent accomplishment of constructing a 100-kilometer road in just 100 hours. With our country’s abundance of resources and youthful population, we should strive to achieve such remarkable feats daily. By embracing precast technology, we can enhance efficiency, ensure safety, and unlock the full potential of our infrastructure development.

By adopting a forward-thinking approach and incorporating precast technology, we can design roads that meet our long-term needs. Precast technology offers solutions to design challenges, enhances efficiency during execution, and streamlines project timelines. As a country abundant in resources and with a young population, we have the opportunity to revolutionise our infrastructure and build a sustainable road network that will benefit generations to come.