Kolkata: The Roads department of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has identified several city roads for rejuvenation using concrete paver blocks and plastic hot mix to reduce damage caused by rainfall and waterlogging.
A Roads department official said concrete paver blocks have high compressive strength, enabling them to withstand heavy vehicular loads without cracking. They are durable, weather-resistant and require fewer repairs. Gaps between the blocks allow rainwater to flow into drainage systems, reducing flooding.
Roads selected for concrete paver block repairs include a 700-metre stretch on the eastern side of Central Avenue from KB Sen Lane to Eden Hospital Road, a 650-metre stretch of Central Avenue in front of Mohammad Ali Park, Jheel Road (1 km) in Jadavpur, and a stretch of EM Bypass near Ambedkar Bridge opposite PC Chandra Garden. Several major stretches already built with paver blocks include the northern side of Park Circus Connector towards Science City, the approach road to Howrah Bridge, Mahatma Gandhi Road in Haridevpur, Joka Canal Road along the north bank of Charial Canal near Bhagat Singh Colony in Ward 144, among others. These roads were earlier prone to waterlogging.
KMC has also shortlisted roads for resurfacing with plastic hot mix, including Paharpur Road, Chetla Road, Cossipore Road, New Road in Alipore, Canal West Road, Canal South Road, Eden Hospital Road and MG Road (north) from CR Avenue to Kalakar Street. The longest stretch proposed is the 6-km EM Bypass section from Ruby Hospital to the Baghajatin railway overbridge.
According to KMC, plastic hot mix roads are more resistant to wear and tear and cost-effective than mastic asphalt.
KMC first experimented with plastic hot mix in 2022 on an 80-metre stretch of Bakshibagan Road in Behala’s Ward 130, a waterlogging-prone area.
Three years later, no potholes have developed. Since then, plastic hot mix has been used on Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road in Behala, a section at Pratapgarh in Jadavpur, Santoshpur Avenue, and before Durga Puja 2023, on Garfa Main Road (about 500 metres) and the western flank of Diamond Harbour Road from Majerhat bridge to Remount Road crossing.