Hyderabad plans CRMP Phase-2 road upgrade
HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation(GHMC) is preparing to launch Phase-2 of the Comprehensive Road Maintenance Programme (CRMP) to improve major roads across the city.
Engineering officials began work on the next steps after the state cabinet recently approved the long-pending proposal. An official said the tender notification will be issued after the government grants administrative approval for the ₹3,145 crore project.
Officials said civic authorities want to complete improvements to major roads before the next GHMC elections, which are expected about six months after the end of the current council term.
1,142 km roads to be maintained for five years
Under the programme, 1,142.54 km of roads in the former GHMC limits will be constructed and maintained by private agencies for five years.
Of this, 744.22 km falls under the first phase and 398.32 km has been newly added. Earlier, only roads with three or more lanes were included in CRMP. Now, roads with two or more lanes are also being covered.
The proposal also includes mechanised sweeping along with construction and maintenance works, officials said.
New technology to improve durability of BT roads
Frequent flooding and other factors have caused bituminous (BT) roads in the city to deteriorate regularly. Officials have therefore decided to adopt Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) technology to improve durability.
Under this method, the existing BT roads will be completely excavated. The waste material will be reused at the site by mixing it with cement, lime and chemical stabilisers to form a hardened base layer. Bitumen will then be laid over this base.
An official said the method reduces costs and improves the lifespan of roads.
Earlier, roads were milled by removing two-and-a-half to four inches of the surface, after which gravel and other materials were added before laying BT. Under the new method, the excavated material will be reused instead of being removed.
98 km works already completed
Of the 398 km of newly included roads, construction work has already been completed on 98 km, officials said.
The Phase-2 proposal was sent to the government about 18 months ago, but implementation was delayed due to pending approval. During this period, GHMC took up construction of severely damaged roads on priority.
Officials said 236 km of the remaining roads are BT roads, while 64 km are cement concrete roads. These will be built using new technology to ensure longer durability.
