(a) whether the Government has any proposal to construct cemented concrete green field expressways in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the cemented concrete roads have more life span and also save fuel consumption;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the locations identified/being identified for construction of green field expressways?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI R.P.N.SINGH)
(a) and (b): The choice of cement concrete pavement over bituminous pavement depend upon
various factors, such as subgrade soil, rainfall, traffic volume, availability of construction
materials, besides costs, etc. Accordingly, the choice of pavement type for development of
green field expressways may vary from project to project.
(c) and (d): Yes, Sir. However, the concrete roads also have their inherent limitations,
such as higher initial cost, poorer riding quality at joints and more noise due to traffic as
compared to bituminous pavements. Further, stage construction is not possible in case of
concrete roads.
(e): The Government approved construction of 1,000 km of Expressways under the National
Highways Development Project (NHDP) Phase-VI. The following stretches have been identified
under NHDP-Phase-VI:-
Sl. No. Section Length (km)
1 Vadodara—Mumbai 400
2 Bangalore—Chennai 334
3 Delhi—Meerut 66
4 Kolkata—Dhanbad 277