BENGALURU: To address the issue of potholes that surface due to rains, BBMP has decided to use steel slag-based Ecofix technology on a pilot basis.
Principal engineer of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) BS Prahalad said potholes not only disrupt traffic and cause congestion but also lead to road accidents.
To address the same, India’s leading road research institute, Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), in collaboration with Ramuka Global Services launched a pilot project of steel slag based Ecofix technology near Anjani Temple on Avenue Road. CRRI with BBMP aims to repair potholes in the city.
“Ecofix technology is a boon to the city. While majority of hot mix plants cannot operate during the rainy season, Ecofix can carry out durable road repairs in an eco-friendly manner,” he said.
Ecofix is developed using industrial waste from steel industries like iron and steel slag and can repair water-filled potholes without any dehydration.
To close potholes on roads, it is necessary to dewater potholes and apply tack coats, however Ecofix mixture can repair potholes even when it is filled with water, without the need for any tack coat. The road can also be opened for traffic immediately after repair. Since the Ecofix mixture is made using processed iron and steel slag and a specially customised binder, the repaired surface is better than regular roads, he opined.