BMC promises potholes are passé

Those sick of bumpy rides on Mumbai’s pothole-ridden roads can take heart. In their desperate bid to find a solution for the chronic problem, civic authorities are planning to experiment with German technology that promises pothole-free roads with a ten-year guarantee.

To be conducted on an experimental basis in October, the process, which involves water-proof asphalting, will be carried out on JJ flyover, Peddar Road, and on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Marg.

Gussasphalt - as it is called - will cost the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) twice the price of normal asphalting (Rs1,000 per square metre).

JT Barbhaya, officer on special duty, BMC roads department, said if the experiment succeeds, Gussasphalt will revolutionise roads in the city. A plant for supplying this asphalt will be set up in Turbhe in October, he informed.

For long, MSRDC has been grappling with the problem of potholes on JJ flyover. Experts say the accumulation of water at two of the identified “problem spots” on the flyover is causing the disintegration of asphalt. “After Gussasphalt is used, we will not only get rid of potholes permanently, it will also minimise the skidding accidents on the flyover,” said a senior engineer at MSRDC.

He said the water-proof asphalt could be laid on the Bandra-Worli sea link once completed. But will the product work in Indian conditions? Jon Czojar, sales director of the German company supplying the product, said Gussasphalt has lasted in their country for 25 years. “I am sure it will last at least 10 years in India.”