1 week Ago
Surat: To enhance road durability with minimal maintenance and improved facilities for residents, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) is developing 40 cement concrete (CC) roads in the central zone. These roads will cover lanes narrower than nine metres and roads 18 and 24 metres wide. The CC road network aims to provide at least 20 years of trouble-free infrastructure.
In the revised SMC budget announced on Thursday, funds were allocated for the development of CC roads in the walled city area, one of the oldest parts of Surat where textile and diamond manufacturing first began. "Currently, the central zone has a tar road network, which requires frequent resurfacing to ensure smooth traffic flow. Over time, multiple layers of tar have raised the road levels above the floor height of many houses," said Rajan Patel, chairman of the SMC standing committee.
To prevent water from seeping into homes, residents have built parapets at entrances. The new CC road plan aims to address this issue by lowering road levels before construction. CC roads will only be laid after completing water supply and drainage pipeline work.
Hydrolysis tests have been conducted to ensure water supply line efficiency," added Patel. Experts from the Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT) studied the feasibility of CC roads in the walled city. "Following recommendations to cover service lines with paver blocks on the sides, the first CC road was built in Gopipura.
This concept has proven successful in Sweden and Denmark, where stone-paved roads perform better than tar roads in narrow lanes," said Gaurang Joshi, professor of transport planning at SVNIT. On Friday, SMC announced the development of four 18-metre-wide and four 24-metre-wide CC roads, where pipeline work is already completed. Additionally, 34 roads narrower than nine metres will be converted to CC roads, addressing a long-pending demand from residents.
"There has been a long-standing need for these roads," said Surat East BJP MLA Arvind Rana, who had previously raised concerns about the deteriorating condition of roads in the central zone and demanded the construction of a CC road network. The CC roads will be constructed in the middle, with paver blocks placed along the edges. Around drainage manholes, paver blocks will allow for easy installation of connecting pipelines, while utility pipelines will be laid beneath them.
.
