As the Guest of Honor, Mr. G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs, addressed the National Conference on “Technological Advances in Concrete Pavements & Bridges” that was organized by the Indian Concrete Institute at Hyderabad in cooperation with ADITYA BIRLA-UltraTech on Saturday, July 6, 2019 at the Hotel Best Western-Ashoka, Lakdikapul, Hyderabad, Telangana, India, beginning at 9.30 AM. Reddy released a booklet at the National Conference on Concrete Pavements and Bridges.
The objectives of the conference were to:
• Create an awareness about environmentally and economically sustainable concrete pavements and concrete overlays (white topping)
• The need for more kilometers of concrete pavements in India
• Highlight the advantages of concrete pavements /overlays over bituminous pavements
• Enrich knowledge of materials, equipment and construction methodology required for making good concrete pavements etc.
• Ways to overcome the limitations in concrete pavements and bridge construction and maintenance as they progress.
This conference was an engineering event that covered the latest advances, while also providing a meeting place to network and form new partnerships. The event features a wide range of innovative technologies.
Those in attendance were:
- Administrative and Policy makers;
- Government Agencies;
- Practicing Engineers;
- Consultants Academicians & Researchers;
- Students;
- Cement and Admixture Manufacturers;
- Ready mix Concrete Manufacturers;
- Road Construction Equipment Manufacturers;
- Construction Companies;
- Contractors
Speakers were from “Industry, Research & Development and Practice” and attendees shared & exchanged experience & expertise on “Recent Trends, Best Practices, Challenges, and Innovations etc. on new generation products, processes, tools, construction methods and design concepts”.
Reddy advised engineers to come up with technological solutions for problems being faced by people in their day-to-day life. He advised engineers in State to take inspiration from long-standing British constructions and implement a similar kind of commitment while dealing with today’s concrete constructions. Reddy further expounded that the engineers have to play a pioneering role in building world class infrastructure to make India a competitive economy. He said that the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMRL) has saved two lakh tons of cement and lakhs of liters of water by opting to use fly ash and special ‘curing compound’ during the construction of the project. He also said the speed and high quality of the HMRL would be emulated by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and other governmental organizations to make Hyderabad a better city.
While technological advances in concrete have played a vital role in the progress of human civilization, there was an urgent need for quantum jump and revolutionary breakthroughs in the field of construction as it happened in the fields of computers and telecom to meet the increasing demand for better living conditions. Giving examples of innovations in the metro project, he pointed out pre-cast construction of the entire station on central pillars and the viaduct construction with longer spans over road junctions using segmental construction method.
“Engineers have to think innovatively to reduce infrastructure costs by shedding insular approach, and closely interact with builders and industrialists to understand the market needs. Equal importance should be given to aesthetics and quality,” Reddy added.
Technical sessions included:
- Advancement in cement technology for meeting Concrete design challenges
- Concrete mix design, quality assurance for durability aspects in infrastructure.
- Materials for special applications in concrete pavements & bridges. Equipment and machinery for optimization of speed, economy & quality.
- Design & Analysis trends and need for training
- Concrete materials, composites to overcome critical challenges and rehabilitation
- Innovations, case studies and progress around the world
SUMMARY: Concrete pavements are:
• Environmentally sustainable
• Sustainable in all aspects of design, construction, operation and maintenance
• Offer a significant advantage when compared to bituminous pavements
• Most durable, safe and cost efficient if appropriately designed
• Requires no maintenance for 25-30 years
• Often outlives their design lives
• Can last up to 50 years
• Urban roads—including rural highways built with concrete—offer 10- 15 % less in vehicle running costs when compared to bituminous roads
• Concrete pavements are lighter in color
• Have increased reflectivity:
Improve night time visibility
Reduce power needed to illuminate roads at night
Help mitigate urban heat island
Help mitigate smog generation
• 100% recyclable … making them environmentally friendly
• Safe as they provide long-term traction and short stopping distances for vehicles even in wet weather conditions
• Comfortable as they are now being constructed with smooth finishes and hence quiet like any other pavement type
• Provide excellent value for money with lower life-cycle cost
• Exhibit a lower energy footprint associated with their production, delivery and maintenance than bituminous pavements
• Economically sustainable
Results of studies conducted points out that concrete pavements are best suited for a country like India with extreme weather conditions and high user volumes. The Marine Drive of Mumbai is a standing testimony for the durability and resilience of concrete roads serving admirably for over seventy years while withstanding the vagaries of the marine environment and abnormal usage compared to any others. Also, concrete bridges became a norm in transportation engineering. Innovations in bridge design opened many opportunities to material and equipment manufacturers to overcome the many site challenges as well as the aspects like durability and speed of construction.
Links pertaining to this article may be found here:
ConstroFacilitator online article “One-Day National Conference on TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN CONCRETE PAVEMENTS & BRIDGES”: https://www.constrofacilitator.com/one-day-national-conference-on-technological-advances-in-concrete-pavements-bridges/
United News of India (UNI) online article “Kishan Reddy Asks Engineers to Come Up With Technological Solutions for Solving People’s Problems”: http://www.uniindia.com/kishan-reddy-asks-engineers-to-come-up-with-technological-solutions-for-solving-people-s-problems/south/news/1656748.html
The Hindu online article “HMR should be emulated, says Kushan Reddy”: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/hmr-should-be-emulated-says-kishan-reddy/article28313208.ece
The New Indian Express Online Article: “MoS Home G Kishan Reddy’s advice to Telangana engineers”: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2019/jul/07/mos-home-g-kishan-reddys-advice-to-telangana-engineers-2000601.html
Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited‘s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/hmrlgov/photos/pcb.2296408630478424/2296400800479207/?type=3&theater
ABOUT INDIAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE (ICI): Founded in 1982, the ICI is one of the leading professional bodies in the country, catering to the professional needs of individuals and organizations involved with Concrete.
For more information, please contact:
Er & Ad P. Srinivasa Reddy, B.Tech, M.B.A, L.L.M, Chairman, ICI-Hyderabad Center
303 HSR Arutla Residency
Vivek Nagar | Chikkadpally, Hyderabad 500 020 | Mobile: 96660 11193
E-mail: icihyd@yahoo.com | Web: www.indianconcreteinstitute.org
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