3 November 2017

Subject: First ever textbook-cum-reference book, “Bituminous Road

Construction in India”

Dear Highway Colleagues:

This email is intended to remind you that the first ever textbook-cum-reference book,
“Bituminous Road Construction in India” is available since July 2016 (in case you
have not purchased it for you or your employees).

I had the privilege to co-author the first ever textbook-cum-reference book, “Hot Mix
Asphalt Materials, Mix Design and Construction” in the US in 1991. At the present
time, this textbook is used in over 25 universities and is also used as reference book
by thousands of highway engineers there.

After my retirement as Associate Director of the US National Center for Asphalt

Technology (NCAT) in 2001, I got involved in the following highway related
activities in India.

• As member of the Flexible Pavement Committee of the Indian Roads

Congress (IRC) and the Bureau of Indian Standards, I developed many new
standards such as IRC:111-2009 Specifications for Dense Graded Bituminous
Mixes; IRC:SP:79-2008 Specifications for Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA);
IRC:116-2014 Specifications for Readymade Cold Pothole Patching Mix; and
IS:73-2006 Specifications for Paving Bitumen. I had the privilege of single-
handedly introducing the viscosity graded (VG) paving bitumen in India in
2006.
• I also presented and published 7 IRC papers on bituminous mixes in India;
long lasting bituminous pavements; crumb rubber modified bitumen (CRMB);
warm mix asphalt (WMA); polymer modified bitumen (PMB); readymade
pothole patching mix; and guidelines for improving ride quality.
 • I conducted several training workshops for major highway construction
companies such as GMR, L&T, Ramky, and GR Infra; universities; and
government highway departments.
• I conducted many forensic investigations of premature failures of national and
state highways in India.

During this period, I have made the following observations.

• New graduate highway engineers who are employed for major highway
projects generally do not possess the desired knowledge. This is because most
universities/colleges do not offer any course on bituminous (asphalt) pavement
engineering. Based on the experience in the US it likely happens when there is
no suitable textbook on this subject.
• These new highway engineers do not get proper on-the-job training either
because training programs in both public and private highway sectors are
almost non-existent. Their supervisors largely know the government
specifications but do not know the fundamentals of bituminous pavement
engineering.

Therefore, I decided to develop this first ever textbook-cum-reference book,

“Bituminous Road Construction in India” incorporating IRC and BIS codes. I believe
it will provide significant assistance to the practicing highway engineers for dealing
with day-to-day problems concerning design, construction, and maintenance of
bituminous pavements. Just go to the index of the book and find the page where the
topic is discussed.

This book was first published in July 2016. It has now been revised in September
2017 by incorporating Superpave Performance Graded (PG) asphalt binders.

Details of this book published by Prentice Hall of India (PHI) are as under.

Kandhal, Prithvi Singh. Bituminous Road Construction in India. PHI Learning

Private Limited, Delhi-110092, 2016.

The book is priced Rs. 515 only. You can place order on line at www.phindia.com.
You can also call Mr. Balamurugan of PHI Learning at 93136-53324 to place order.
This book is also available on www.amazon.in for Rs 462 only.

Best regards,

Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal

Jaipur
pkandhal@gmail.com

Home page: www.eng.auburn.edu/users/kandhps

“American roads are good not because America is rich, but America is rich
because American roads are good.” - John F. Kennedy