Nitin Gadkari aims to make National Highways pothole-free by December this year

Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, has set a lofty goal to have all national highways free of potholes by the end of 2023. Gadkari said that a strategy is being created to guarantee that national highways are free of potholes while speaking at a media briefing on Thursday. The minister stated that young engineers would be employed to fulfil the goal and complete the project successfully.

According to Gadkari, rainfall can damage roadways and result in potholes; the new strategy would seek to address this.

Gadkari said that the government is conducting a safety evaluation of the nation’s roadways, noting that rainfall can damage highways and result in potholes. According to him, a program is being developed to guarantee that there are no potholes on the nation’s roadways, and young engineers will be employed to help the effort succeed.

He continued by saying that the new strategy will also take drainage problems along national routes into consideration. He continued by saying that a different strategy regarding the use of municipal garbage in road building was under consideration.

The Road Transport and Highways Ministry is finalizing performance-based maintenance and short-term maintenance contracts with the goal of having all national highways free of potholes by the end of this year.

Road development is often carried out using one of three modes: BOT, Engineering, Procurement and development (EPC), or Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM). While roads built under the BOT method are better built since the contractor is aware that he would be responsible for paying for upkeep for the following 15-20 years, roads built under the EPC style require repair relatively quickly.

Urban solid waste is being used in the building of UER-II, the Ahmedabad to Dholera expressway, and the Delhi Mumbai expressway’s DND-Sohna spur, according to the ministry’s earlier statement.

A provision promoting the use of municipal garbage in embankment building will be included in government highway contracts. The adoption of solar lighting on roadways, which has reduced carbon dioxide emissions, was yet another initiative he praised.

Gadkari added that a draft of a policy to encourage the use of alternative fuel in construction equipment has been created and would soon be presented with the finance minister for approval. He did not, however, provide a precise timeframe.

Gadkari claimed that the plan is consistent with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of having India achieve carbon neutrality by 2047.

Gadkari had proposed in May that road building businesses convert to utilizing alternative fuels to power their construction equipment and save money.

400 billion liters of fuel are used annually by construction equipment, according to estimates from MoRTH. The government hopes to encourage alternative fuels to be used in construction machinery.

Gadkari stated earlier this week that the $5 trillion economy objective is attainable and that the nation has to strengthen its infrastructure.

“Without water, power, transport and communication, we will not get industry and capital investment. Without industry and capital investment, we cannot create employment potential. And without employment potential, we cannot eradicate poverty. That is very important,” Gadkari said.

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