POLICY NOTE FOR BUILDING WATER RESISTANT HIGHWAYS IN INDIA

Highways constructed in India experience a range of weather conditions - heavy

rainfall of up to 4000 mm in North East, snow bound climate in North, high
ambient temperatures of up to 50 o Celsius, with wide variability of aggregates &
bitumen binders, suffer pre-mature distress and failures – potholes, cracking and
raveling of top layers.

Road bases constructed do not have dimensional stability and deform due to
water ingress. Consequently, the ride quality is bumpy and non-uniform.

Cost effective Nanotechnologies resolves the above issues at low CAPEX with
significant increase in road life and have been used successfully in India and
across the globe since 2009.

Technology Impact : Cost v/s Benefits

I. Overall cost of achieving water resistant roads will be approximately Rs 57

/sqm (layer wise cost break-up below), which is only 2.5 % of the current
pavement cost of Rs 2285 /sqm (Rs 80 lac per lane km, for typical 20 MSA
road design).

Layer Wise Cost Break-Up for Water Resistant Layers

Bitumen Layer + Rs 21.90 /sqm

Tack Coat Saving - Rs 1.75 /sqm
Prime Coat over WMM Saving - Rs 19.15 /sqm
Multi-Layer: Four Layer Sub-Grade Waterproofing + Rs 56.00 /sqm
(Eliminates capillary rise & top-down water percolation)

II. Water resistant roads have a significantly higher ESAL value (basis
AASHTO 93 design guide), typically 4-7 times, and will lead to substantial
reduction in maintenance costs and increased life cycle
Action Required

I. Implement “Specifications of Water Resistance”, as recommended by

Tambe Committee immediately

II. Delay or lack of implementation will be a lost opportunity, since bulk of

highway construction will take place in next ten years. This in turn will lead
to water susceptible pavements for the next 20-50 years.

In case of any apprehension and / or detailed explanation required for

implementation of the policy, a meeting chaired by Secretary, MORTH can be
convened at the earliest.