CEMENT CONCRETE ROADS FOR MUMBAI A CASE STUDY
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CEMENT CONCRETE ROADS FOR MUMBAI 
A CASE STUDY

Taken from : Ambuja Technical  Literature Series - 38

INTRODUCTION:
In 1989, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) took up the ambitious and prestigious programme of concretisation of prominent roads in Mumbai to provide better vehicular riding quality and maintenance free roads.
The MCGM is in charge of a road network of 1600 kms. Inclusive of roads in the eastern as well as western suburbs. However, Express highways are maintained by the local Public Works Department (PWD). Approximately 350 kms. of this road network comprises of major roads running north to south and few major roads running east to west. Road pavements in Mumbai are of two kinds viz. rigid and flexible. Rigid pavements constituted hardly 50% of the entire network.
A few of the concrete roads in Mumbai were constructed way back in 1924. Marine Drive now renamed Netaji Subhash Chandra Marg was concreted in 1938-39 and has proved its durability despite unfavourable environmental conditions. Concretization of the western carriage way of Marine Drive was successfully completed in 1960. Ranade Road, Shivaji Park Scheme, Sion Road (Western Carriage Way), Sion Road (Eastern Carriage Way), Dr. Ambedkar Road near Bharatmata Cinema, N.M. Joshi Marg, roads in the Nariman Point area, R.A.K. Road and some roads near Wadala were successfully constructed using cement concrete during the same period. The period from 1970-1989, the programme of concretisation of roads in Mumbai took a backseat owing to government control of cement, is resultant scarcity and other advice factors. In 1980, a more for cement concrete roads was initiated but it was restricted to major junctions in suburban Mumbai.
Concrete roads were constructed in various other areas but no continuity in the programme was maintained due to scarcity of cement, lack of funds and want to bold administrative decisions giving priority to cement concrete roads vis-a-vis bituminous or asphathic concrete roads. Such circumstances forced the MCGM to prefer asphathic roads leading to poor durability and repeated repairs and patchwork maintenance. On account of the various monsoons in Mumbai, inadequate storm water drainage systems, flooding in low-lying areas, increase in the traffic, deep excavations by public utilities and filling without proper consolidation caused wasteful expenditure resulting in potholes and extremely poor riding surface. Sub-standard repair work often slowed down the vehicular traffic.

NEED FOR ROAD CONCRETISATION :
The rapid development of business in India's commercial capital Mumbai had made road transportation critical in the corridors of the city's business districts. Increased traffic density coupled with restricted road width, had made road maintenance difficult. Financial constraints further augmented these problems. Under
these conditions it was difficult to reconstruct or resurface the existing roads. Patchwork maintenance was generally resorted, which was far from satisfactory.
Deterioration of bituminous roads in this city specially during the rainy seasons is an annual feature and a perpetual problem. During the monsoon, the roads constructed with bituminous binders suffer severe damage causing great inconvenience to the users. All this results in wastage of precious and expensive fuel, increased travel
time and addition to pollution. After cement was totally decontrolled by the government in 1989, good quality cement was available in sufficient quantity. Public interest litigation against MCGM in the Mumbai High Court, presented the Municipal authorities who found it prudent to switch over to cement concrete roads in a phase wise manner.

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