Introduction India has around 33 lakh km. of road network, less than half of which is paved.

Out of this, about 71,000 km. are designated as National Highways which, though, just about 2 per cent of the total length, carry almost 40 per cent of the traffic. Most of the Indian roads today are bituminous, which become unserviceable after a few years due to lack of maintenance. Realising the loss of thousands of crores of rupees to the economy due to bad roads, Government of India has now given major thrust for the construction of durable highways, urban and rural roads. Several Schemes such as the NHDP, PMGSY and JNNURM have been launched to achieve this goal, on which several crores rupees are being allocated and spent every year. Keeping the interest of the Nation in mind, CMA has undertaken an extensive and wide-ranging programme to promote the construction of Concrete Roads throughout the country. Seminars and Workshops have been organized, a large number of Presentations have been made to Engineers, Consultants and other Authorities including Chief Ministers and Central Ministers, and meetings have been held, to convince decision makers of the superiority of Concrete Roads.

Due to CMA's efforts, many organizations viz. NHAI, PWDs, Municipal Corporations, Village Panchayats etc. are now opting for Cement Concrete Roads for National/State Highways, City Roads, Urban Roads and Rural Roads.[

http://oldsite.cmaindia.org/ccrd.htm,

14/11/11]
Introduction The revival of the cement industry in the country coupled with other factors that have boosted the prospects of constructing road projects in the country has made the transportation engineers to sit together, and re-orient their pavement options towards concrete pavements. So far India had preferred the option of flexible pavements due to certain compelling reasons. Most obvious among them were lower initial cost, amenability to stage construction and scarcity of cement. But now the country is on the verge of accomplishing highly ambitious road modernization programme which ncludes the construction of expressways and four laning projects. This calls for a re-appraisal of the past strategies. The countrys road system has got a fillip and boost due to the recently introduced National Highway Development Programme (NHDP) and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) provoking a profound paradigmatic shift towards the construction of concrete roads. In this context, cement concrete roads have a major role to play. The know-how and the current state of knowledge is very minimal since large scale projects involving concrete road constructions are still in infancy stage in India. There are many compelling issues at stake in the design and construction a spects of rigid pavements in India. This paper addresses few of them. Current Practice of the Design of Rigid Pavements Followed in India The early approach to the design of rigid pavements was based on Westergaards analysis. Recent advances in knowledge have led to vast changes in the design methodology. In the earlier version of IRC: 58-1988, the calculation of load stresses was done as per Westergaards equations modified by Teller and Sutherland. The use of these equations has its own limitation because they do not take into account the configuration of the wheels. Picket & Rays chart can be used for stress computation in the interior portion as

well as at the edge of concrete slabs. Using the fundamental concept of Westergaard and Picket & Rays pioneering work, a computer programme IITRIGID developed at IIT Kharagpur is used for computation of stresses for the edge load condition in the revised guideline IRC 58-20021. The stress charts for single as well as tandem axles for different magnitudes of single and tandem axle loads are given in the revised IRC guideline. Thus the salient features of the revised guideline are computation of flexural stress due to the placement of single and tandem axle loads along the edge and the introduction of the cumulative fatigue damage approach in the design. Most of the work till recently was aimed at modifications and adaptations of Westergaards work for matching better with actual performance and for simplifying the analysis of design. The present philosophy in design is based on warping stresses developed in the slabs due to temperature variations and bending of the slabs due to axle load. The stress ratio concept is used to account for axle load repetitions by which actual repetitions of axle load and allowable repetitions of axle load are compared as per the recommended design procedures given in IRC: 58-20021and IRC: 15-20022. Recently, the guidelines for design of low volume roads were formulated by IRC: SP: 62-2004 3In the design of concrete pavement for low volume roads also temperature stresses and load stresses are required to be considered in combination so that the sum of these two shall not exceed the concrete flexural strength. As the traffic at the end of design life is very low in rural roads the stress ratio concept is not considered in the design of the PQC slab of the pavement. The guidelines for construction of Roller Compacted Concrete Pavement which makes use of zero slump concrete were also reported in IRC: SP: 62-20043. The Issue of Temperature Stresses Research that has been conducted at IIT Kharagpur and elsewhere in the world4has indicated that Bradburys equations adopted in IRC: 58-20021and IRC: SP: 20-20025may lead to overestimation by over 100 percent of the actual warping stresses in concrete pavements. In the conventional method, the foundation is assumed to be made of springs attached firmly to the slab and when a slab warps up, the spring pulls it down causing warping stresses. In actual practice, the slab warps up leaving contact with ground and it is the selfweight of the slab that causes warping stresses. Using an iterative Finite Element method6, accurate values of warping stresses were computed in concrete pavements for linear temperature variation across the depth. Temperature warping stresses were analyzed by taking the selfweight of the concrete slab and also taking into account the loss of subgrade support due to linear temperature differential across the depth of the concrete slab. The thickness by this method of analysis can bring down the pavement design thickness by 10 percent4. The study clearly establishes a need for change in the temperature stresses calculation. While comprehensive data on distribution of temperature differentials in the pavement for the annual cycle of seasons is needed to adequately and effectively account for such differentials, all that is available now is some four decade old data on maximum annual temperature differential in pavements of four different thicknesses for six zones defined in the country for this purpose, based on the work and recommendation of CRRI1, 7. Further work needed in this direction includes field studies at a few locations in the country, covering different climatic zones, for comprehensive year round temperature differential data on an hourly basis and updating of this data bank. Issue of Design Strength of Concrete Cement concrete continues to gain flexural strength with age, 90 days and one year flexural strengths are about 110 and 117 percent of the 28 days flexural strength4. The 28 days test results have been commonly used for thickness design of highways and streets. In a big project, a concrete pavement is often opened to traffic long after the construction and only the last part of the pavement constructed towards the end is exposed to traffic early. Otherwise also, cumulative traffic is much smaller in the first few months as compared to the cumulative design traffic, resulting in little fatigue damage. The total traffic for fatigue check may be considered in two parts

Traffic during the first yearusing 28-day strength, or that at the age of opening to traffic, whichever is later Traffic during the first yearusing one year strength

Advantage of gain in strength with age can be safely taken in thickness design to achieve economy. This is the practice followed in PCA method of design 8also. Issue of Separation Membrane As per the practice in India, a plastic sheet is usually provided at the interface of dry lean concrete sub base and the concrete slab to break the bond between the two layers to minimize reflective cracking from the unjointed lean concrete sub base. If the two layers are bonded together giving rise to a composite action, stresses in the pavement slab as well as in the lean concrete sub-base can be reduced significantly and ower thickness of concrete slab can be provided. In order to prevent cracking of the concrete slab due to contraction, the subbase must be of strength not exceeding 28 day compressive strength of about 5 to 7 MPa. If lean concrete of higher strength is provided, it must have contraction joints at the same spacing as that of the pavement slab so that cracks are confined to the weakened sections in both the layers. Issue of Widened Outer Lane

If the outer lane of a concrete pavement is widened by about 0.5 to 0.6 metres while the wheel loads are confined along the longitudinal edge of the outer lane, the flexural stresses are reduced significantly resulting in a thinner pavement. The widened part forms a part of the shoulder and it can be given a rough texture to discourage vehicles from coming over the widened part dur ing the normal operation. Only those wheels traveling tangential to the edge of the outer lane are critical for design. A very small percentage (less than 2 %) meets this condition as per the research in India9. Portland Cement Association8considers only six percent of the traffic for thickness design. IRC: 58-20021 recommends a conservative estimate of 25 % which is to be further debated. The tie bars in the longitudinal joints within the carriageway are not designed for load transfer, as such, whichever of these longitudinal joints caters to the maximum traffic will be critical for design of tie bars. This traffic will be very much higher than at the outer edge of the outer lane. Critical Review Points Regarding Construction Aspects

Issue of Early Morning Construction during Summer It has been observed in some of the Golden Quadrilateral projects that the pavement slabs that are constructed in the early morning time of summer period in Northern India developed shrinkage cracks (Photo 1). IRC: 15-20022prohibits concreting when the temperature is in excess of 350C. Shrinkage cracks can occur when the temperature is higher than the 350C and the pavemen t quality concrete is still in the green state. So proper time period should be allowed for the concrete to cure and the temperature in the early curing period time should not exceed the prescribed limit. The morning temperature in summer months, while the concrete being cured in its initial hours can bring about shrinkage cracks as observed in some of the Golden Quadrilateral projects. This problem needs to be addressed by the contractors. When ambient temperature is not more than 350C, take care of some, but not all problems in the case of hot weather concreting. It certainly does reduce the risk of shrinkage cracking, but does not eliminate it if the temperature soon rises beyond 350C. Additional precaution pertinent to curing in hot weather (IRC: 61-197610, IRC: 84-198311) would still need to be taken in ground against shrinkage cracking. One of the advantage of early morning concreting is that the materials are relatively cooler, and it would not be necessary by cooling water with ice, or by addition of ice during mixing, which could otherwise be needed. Issue of Expansion Joint

Expansion joints are necessary when the concrete pavement abuts with structures like bridges and culverts. In the earlier version IRC: 58-1988 recommended expansion joints at spacing ranging from 50 to 140 m depending upon the slab thickness, period of construction and slab thickness. Construction of these joints involves considerable effort and also the joint has to be constructed with a stop end. This has a bearing on the progress of work. In some of the projects in India, the expansion joints have been recommended at the end of the days work and not in between the days work. The IRC: 58-20021does not recommend expansion joints at locations other than where the slabs abut a bridge or culvert. The expansion joints are not being recommended in advanced countries any more. Yang H. Huang12 says that the expansion joints are difficult to maintain and susceptible to pumping and hence they are no longer in use except at the connection between the pavement and structure. A view of the failed expansion joint is given in Photo 2. Issue of Mix Design The mix design method as suggested by IRC: 44-197613 is very old. At the time of formulation of this code usage of super plasticizers was not common. High strength concrete can now be produced using various new additives and high strength cement. Cements with 43 and 53 Grade are commonly available in market now a days which were not available at the time of formulation of this code. So a new mix design procedure has to be evolved in the light of the developments in cement industries and allied admixtures. Relationship between Cube Strength and Core Strength Most of the contract documents contain the following clause In the case of pavement concrete, where the requirements are not met with, or the quality of concrete or its compaction is suspect, the actual strength of the concrete in the slab shall be ascertained by carrying out tests on cores cut from the hardened concrete at such locations. The equivalent cube strength of concrete shall be obtained by multiplying the corrected cylinder strength by 5/4., where height to diameter ratio of the core is two, IS:516 -195914. As per article 17 of IS: 456-200015, the concrete shall be accepted if the average equivalent cube strength of cores is equal to at least 85 percent of the cube strength for the corresponding age and that no individual core has a strength less than 75 percent. As experienced by the contractors it is very difficult to achieve this specification. More research work is to be carried out on this aspect. Issues related with Texturing and Re-texturing Surface texturing is important to cement concrete pavements. Right depth of texturing can be achieved with right slump and correct timing. Use of low slump concrete and delayed texturing leads to insufficient depth of texturing and high slump concrete and early texturing shall lead to extra depth. Insufficient depth of texturing can lead to skidding of vehicles; extra depth can lead to holding of water and noise pollution. Time of texturing is critical to the surfacing of rigid pavement and should be done carefully. It is very difficult to maintain the texture depth requirement over a period of time. Retexturing is required as the road is subjected to the movement of vehicles and the surface worn out. Currently there are no specifications available for retexturing and the methodology of retexturing. A view of retextured surface is given in Photo 3. Conclusions

The issues highlighted above throw light on the urgent needs for re-examining and formulating new guidelines/specification with regard to design and construction of concrete roads in India. The issues raised become more pertinent in the context of the large scale construction of cement concrete roads at the anvil. Feedback from the various construction agencies and from research and development fraternity can lead to meaningful contribution in solving many issues at stake in the field of design and construction of concrete roads in India as discussed in the paper.[ http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=report%20on%20cement%20cncrete%20road%20construction&source=web&cd=3&sqi =2&ved=0CEAQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbmcw.com%2Farticles%2Froads%2F473-critical-review-points-on-the-designand-construction-of-concrete-roads-in-india.html&ei=T_rATs28Joq4rAfvpMzlAQ&usg=AFQjCNHC3229zNVmpwpPhofSMtucuzgQEA, 14/11/11]

HISTORY OF CONCRETE PAVEMENT The first concrete highway

constructed in the United States was a 24-mile long, nine-foot-wide, five-inch-thick strip of concrete pavement built near Pine Bluff, AK,, in 1913, five years after the introduction of the Model T Ford. By 1914, Portland cement concrete had been used to pave 2,348 miles of roadway in the U.S.Highway construction received a significant push forward two years later when President Woodrow Wilson signed the first Federal Aid Highway Act directing the federal government to help states finance road building. In 1919, Oregon became the first state to level a fuel tax on gasoline to finance road construction-still, today, the primary method of financing road building and maintenance. In the 1930s, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, built on a railroad right-of-way, was the first major intercity turnpike, or tollroad, completed in the US and was constructed of concrete. Significant technical and design developments during the 1930s and 40s made concrete paving faster, less expensive, and increased its durability. Highway departments began to use soil cement-gravel mixed with cement-as a subgrade for highways. At this time, contractors also changed their method of creating pavement joints. Rather than forming the joints when the concrete was fully plastic by lumping it up to either side of the joint, contractors began sawing the concrete once it was partially hardened to create a smoother joint. This change in procedure helped create more even highway surfaces. The invention of the slip-form paver in 1949 was another milestone in the development of concrete paving technology, as it allowed read crews to pace wide sections of concrete continuously, and therefore far more efficiently than before. Slipforming is now used for highway paving projects in almost every state in America. Many consider the construction of the Interstate Highway system, during the 1960s and 70s, to be the heyday for concrete paving, and road building in general. But even as thousands of miles of concrete highways were formed, research and development continued improving methods of placing and maintaining concrete.

Editor's Note: (With special thanks) Most of this copy was drawn from Cement and Concrete: Reference Guide, "published by Portland Cement Association, 1997.
[

http://www.midatlantic.pavement.com/History.htm 14/11/11] Reasons To Use Concrete

19 REASONS WHY CONCRETE IS STILL THE BEST PAVEMENT CHOICE
1. BEST LONG-TERM VALUE Concrete pavements are by far the best
long-term value because of their longer life expectancies, durability and minimal maintenance requirements.

2. CONCRETE STAYS SMOOTHER LONGER The

3.

4.

5. CONCRETE ROADS LAST LONGER , ARE MORE DURABLEConcrete can best withstand the heaviest traffic loads. There's no 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
need to worry about ruts, shoving or washboard effects possible with asphalt pavements. BEST TRACTION GRIP Concrete pavements are easily textured during construction to create a surface that provides superior traction and a quiet ride. OUTLASTS FLEXIBLE MATERIALS Depending on the system requirements, concrete pavements can be designed to last 40 years and more, thus making concrete the best long-term pavement solution. EXCEEDS ITS OWN LIFE EXPECTANCY Concrete pavements frequently outlast both their designed life expectancy and traffic loads. EASY TO REPAIR The durability of concrete minimizes the need for extensive repairs or annual maintenance. When repairs are necessary, they are typically smaller in scope than asphalt pavements. RAPID PAVING Surprisingly, concrete pavement can be built and open to traffic in as little as 12 hours. IDEAL FOR DISTRESSED ASPHALT Whitetopping--placing a layer of standard concrete over existing asphalt surfaces, or, Ultra Thin Whitetopping--a process of placing a thin layer of fiber-reinforced concrete over prepared asphalt, are cost-effective, expedient methods of rehabilitating

rigidity of concrete pavements allows them to keep their smooth riding surface long after construction. Smoother pavements create safer, more comfortable riding surfaces. CONCRETE IS SAFER Concrete does not rut, so there is no hydroplaning and stress on an automobile's steering system. Concrete reflects 33 to 50 percent more light than asphalt, especially important for driving safely at night. RIGID FOR LIFE Concrete actually gets stronger over time. After its first month in place, concrete continues to slowly gain ten percent strength during its life.

12. BEST CHOICE FOR WORN CONCRETE Restoration techniques can 13.
extend the life of concrete pavements up to nine times their original design life. CONCRETE ROADS SAVE FUEL Concrete's rigid surface makes it easier for wheels to roll. Studies have even shown that if all trucks rode on concrete, fuel savings would be about 11 million gallons per day: that's four billion gallons per year! BEST VISIBILITY, SAFETY AND SAVINGS Because concrete reflects light, it increases visibility (thus SAFETY), and can save on street lighting costs. A North Carolina study found the number of street lights could be reduced by one-third when the streets were made of concrete. This saves kilowatts and taxpayer dollars. CONCRETE IS LESS EXPENSIVE Concrete pavements deliver considerable savings for both taxpayers, local and state governments. Consider these documented facts. Concrete pavements: Typically cost 25 to 50 percent less than asphalt to maintain over the years. Have an average life of 30 to 35 years, according to the FHWA (e.g. Wisconsin-25 years; Colorado-27 years; New York-25 years; Minnesota-35). Because of reflectivity, require far less lighting, thereby reducing the costs of installation and maintaining street lighting. Lower maintenance costs for car owners. Require less annual maintenance, therefore, less time is lost in traffic jams caused by road repairs. Make it unnecessary to impose weight restrictions during the spring thaw. The U.S. trucking industry would be more profitable, more efficient and more competitive. Seasonal restrictions now cost approximately $50 million annually. Compared to concrete, asphalt surfaces cost the trucking industry 20 percent more in fuel alone: that's another $50 million a year.

distressed asphalt pavements.

14.

15.

16. CONCRETE IS ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY The useful life of

17.

18. 19.

a concrete road is 40 years. When it is replaced, the old surface can be crushed and used in the new road. Modern concrete roads are very smoothriding, energy-saving, cooler, and quiet. CONCRETE IS THE BEST LIFE-CYCLE-COST CHOICE Life-Cycle Cost Analysis is a tool that brings together all of the information needed to make an educated choice: initial investment, anticipated service life, overlay and maintenance costs over the roadway's life, the value of money saved as well as spent. CONCRETE PAVEMENTS ARE RECYCLABLE Concrete pavements can be reused-both for road surfaces and bases. The entire operation can be accomplished on-site. This keeps the nation's landfills free of highway rubble. CONCRETE PAVEMENTS ARE COOL In urban areas, concrete pavements, together with trees, can reduce summer temperatures by as much as ten degrees! Lessening the need for air conditioning, this means huge energy/dollar savings for towns and cities.

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A CRITICAL REVIEW OF INNOVATIVE RURAL ROAD CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES AND THEIR IMPACTS Madhavi Vedula Technical Officer NRRDA, New Delhi Pawan Nath G Technical Officer, NRRDA, New Delhi Prof. B. P. Chandrashekar Director (Technical) NRRDA, New Delhi Rural Roads Connectivity is one of the key components for rural development, as it promotes access to economic and social services, generating increased agricultural income and productive employment. While building rural roads, the provisions based on the parameters that affect the sustainability are to be made, but at minimum cost. The conventional methods and specifications tend to recommend technology and materials, however difficult and distance away they may be, which normally result in higher cost of construction. It is the duty of the engineers to spend every rupee of the taxpayers money with optional utility particularly under resource constraints. This call for introduction innovative approaches in rural roads building for achieving cost-effectiveness. Though such methods and technologies were tried world over, they could not become popular in India, due to procedural constraints and lack of awareness/exposure. At this juncture, an attempt is made to bring in together innovative technologies and discuss their positive impacts so as to convince the field engineers in adopting such technologies at placed found effective. 1. INTRODUCTION About 600 million people of India live in nearly 6 lakh villages scattered all over the country. Access roads provide the means to bring the rural population on to the main stream. Notwithstanding the efforts made, over the years, at the State and Central level, through different programmes, about 40% of habitations in the country are still not connected by allweather roads. As a Poverty reduction strategy, PMGY was launched as a 100% centrally funded programme for Rural Roads Development in India. The rural connectivity is expected to have many positive impacts on economy, agricultural, employment and social services to rural masses. India is distinguished for its geographical diversities with mountains, hills, rivers terrains, forest, wet lands, deserts and scattered habitations in remote areas. Also, there exists a wide range in the sub-grade soil types, rainfall, traffic pattern and availability of construction materials. These natural barriers create problems for developing a standard uniform technique to serve the requirements at all the sites. This requires adoption of different technologies based on site specific conditions. For the construction of Rural Roads, Indian Roads Congress has brought out Rural Road Manual IRC SP:20-2002 for design and construction. The design is based on the CBR value of the soil sub-grade and the 10 years projected cumulative traffic with an assumed 6% traffic growth per year. Based on this concept, normally two layers of WBM with 75 mm thickness is laid over the granular sub-base with suitable material having minimum 15% CBR. However, there are situations in many states where the prescribed standards are not available at normal leads resulting in longer haulage and higher costs. If the locally available materials, including marginal and industrial waste materials are utilized, it could be possible to reduce the cost of road construction. Several types of new materials are tried to establish the efficacy of new materials in road construction. However, [2] the use of new materials and technologies is not becoming popular owing to certain procedural constraints as well as lack of awareness and therefore appropriate steps may have to be taken for popularizing the new technologies for building better rural roads with less cost. Adoption of such technique may also result in the conservation of natural resources, energy environment. 2. GROUND IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES One of the proven technologies for the use of local soil and marginal aggregates is stabilization. The stabilization can be mechanical or chemical and several types of stabilizing agents have proved to be suitable under different conditions of soil and environment. The soil

stabilization techniques include: Stabilization with lime. Stabilization with cement. Stabilization with a combination of lime and cement Even though specifications for soil stabilization are included in both MoRT&H and MoRD book of specifications their adoption is not getting popular, due to problems associated in attaining homogeneity of soil-stabilizer mix in the field and achieving the desired results. The only constraint in the use of the above techniques lies on the procedures adopted in the field. It is possible to popularize the use of stabilization techniques through appropriate training and capacity building of the field engineers. Further, development of low end technology equipment, for use in the rural roads also facilitates wider use of these methods. In addition to the above, several methods are being tried with the use of industrial waster by products in road building. The following are some of the important materials which have proved good. Fly Ash for the construction of the embankments and stabilization of sub-base and base-courses. Steel and copper slags for the construction of sub-base and base-courses. Marble dust in sub-grade and sub base. Though the construction of different elements of the road with Fly Ash has been successfully implemented, the use of other materials is not so widely adopted except for inplant roads. However, construction technologies with the use of such materials can also be successfully adopted, if the field engineers are properly trained. Studies were carried out on the use of waste materials like rice husk ash and lime sludge. These materials, if left un-used, may affect the surroundings and also create problem for their disposal. Use of those waste materials in road construction can alleviate the problem of their disposal to great extent. In India, studies were conducted at CRRI, IIT Roorkee and several other places for their use in stabilizing the soil. The results indicated that heir usage has great impact on the improvement of soil properties. The studies suggested that they are very useful for stabilizing clayey soils. The summary of the results indicate the following. Improve Atterberg limits to make soil suitable for road building. Increase the unconfined compressive strength of soil as well as CBR. [3] 3. INNOVATIONS IN GROUND IMPROVEMENT Recently several environmental friendly enzymes have come into the market such Fujibeton, Terrazyme and Renolith etc. Use of these products indicates minimization, elimination of the use of aggregates and is referred to as Aggregate-Free Pavement Technology. Such materials can also be tried in the rural roads construction after proving their efficacy in the Indian conditions, through series of trial projects. 3.1 Fujibeton as a Soil Stabilizing Agent The Fujibeton material, developed in Japan, is climatically stable material and suitable for stabilization of all types of soils. Basically, the product is an inorganic polymer that chemically binds with all compounds, where blended with ordinary Portland cement in 1 to 3% by weight of OPC. The blended mix is called Fujibeton Mix, which is used for stabilization of soil that improves the engineering properties of soil. The design concept is based on the optimization of Fujibeton mix for stabilization based on unconfined compressive strength results determined on the given soil for different proportions of soil-Fujibeton mix and calculation of the thickness of the stabilization layer (Beton-Subbase) based on design CBR, wheel load and volume of traffic. The top layer of the pavement should be covered with 3 to 5 cm asphalt concrete. The technology is advantageous not only for locations where aggregates are not available at economical rates but also for all types of soil conditions. With the use of new soil hardening agent, the material available at the construction site may be used as it is, eliminating the need for transporting of borrow soil from long distances, thus economizing and simplifying the work process. Fujibeton improves CBR of the sub-grade and does not create shrinkage cracks and is therefore highly effective for clayey/soils. With Fujibeton, a high dry density is obtained with only minor compaction. Therefore, small and simple equipments like tractor mounted equipment are sufficient. Also, this technology does not require skilled manpower for road construction. This technology is efficient and economical for construction of embankment and sub-grade & sub-base course. Experimental Study in India To evaluate the performance of this technology, using Fujibeton as soil stabilizer, small road stretch has been constructed within the campus of NCCBMs in Ballabhgarh. With this study, it is revealed that because of faster setting and improved CBR of stabilized soil, the rural road can be opened to traffic within a day. Due to speedier construction practices, the Fujibetonstabilized rural roads will not only be economical but also prove to be effective under constraints of traffic diversion. 3.2 Terrazyme as a Soil Stabilizing Agent Terrazyme is a natural, non-toxic; environmentally safe, bio-enzyme product that improves engineering qualities of soil reduces ruts and potholes resulting in more durable and longer lasting roads. The function of Terrazyme is to minimize absorbed water in the soil for maximum compaction, which decreases the swelling capacity of the soil particles and reduces

permeability. The application of Terrazyme enhances weather resistance and increases loadbearing capacity of soils especially in clayey/soils. This will provide cost effectiveness both in the initial construction cost and maintenance cost. [4] Advantages of Terrazyme Technology: Considerable improvement in soil CBR. Minimum loss of gravel due to erosion or abrasion by the traffic preserving original transverse section of slopes. Impediment of widespread occurrence of dust from loose fine material on the road surface. Terrazyme is used world wide in strengthening of layers of un-surfaced roads, in base layers and sub-base layers covered with asphalt material. Among the soil materials stabilized by Terrazyme are sandy clay, silty clay, sandy silt, plastic and non-plastic clay, sandy loam, fine loam, loam mixed with clay. Case Studies in India Trial roads were built in India with Terrazyme stabilized road structure in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The soil used in these studies are mainly gravelly clay, silty clay, clayey sand, medium to fine sand-clay mixtures, silt and clay mix. It is proved that there is an increase in CBR value of more than 100% and Relative compaction by more than 100%. Case study of the two roads built by PWD of Maharashtra revealed that the use of Terrazyme resulted in overall cost savings in the range of 18-26%. 3.3 Soil Cement Renolith Stabilization Technique: Renolith is polymer based chemical, which is environmentally friendly and which facilitates the bonding of soil particles (a phenomenon which is known a micro-rubber bonds). Soil-cement with Renolith has a high modulus of elasticity and can disperse the wheel loads very effectively. It is a semi-rigid material. A noteworthy feature of this technology is that it require very little amount of aggregate, which is useful at places where the material haulage is more. The use of Renolith, when used in soil stabilization with cement, gives strong and durable base. This type of construction does not require surfacing for low volume roads, since the base course is stabilized. It is expected to give good performance with longevity and reduces maintenance costs in almost dust free environment. Limited research was carried out abroad, with soil cement Renolith Stabilization, but similar studies are yet to be carried out in India. 4. ALTERNATE TECHNOLOGIES IN RURAL ROADS CONSTRUCTION There are several other techniques that can be adopted in conditions of low bearing capacity soils, marshy lands and location with drainage problems such as the use of geotextiles. Several types of geo-textiles including synthetic, jute coir etc. are proved to give good results and provide cost effectiveness for rural roads. 4.1 Use of Jute Geo-textile Jute Geo-textile (JGT) is a kind of natural technical textile laid in or on soil to improve its engineering properties. It is made out of yarns obtained form the jute plant. Jute Geo Textiles have high moisture absorption, excellent drapability, high initial tensile strength, biodegradable and improved soil structure on degradation. The basic functions of JGT are separation, filtration, drainage and initial reinforcement. It is environment friendly. Jute Geotextiles can be more effective, ecofriendly and economical if used judiciously and jointly with other measures. [5] Based on the experiences of the use of Jute Geo Textiles, MoRD in collaboration with JMDC is implementing a pilot project in five States covering a length of about 48 Km under different soil and environmental conditions. This project is taken up with different types of Jute Geo-textile and placement at different levels. The post construction performance monitoring is expected to give valuable data for arriving at standards and specifications of this technique which helps for wider application. The project is in progress and the results are expected shortly. (Cost in lakh) States Total length of Roads (Km) Conventional Design With Jute Geo Textile Savings in Rs. lakh Assam, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal 47.84 2022.95 1790.06 232.89 4.2 Flexible-Concrete Pavement Technology IIT Kharagpur has developed a new technology for low cost cement concrete road construction, which has proved to be suitable in place of conventional CC roads for low volume traffic. Even though the initial cost of flexible-concrete road is high compared to cost

of conventional flexible pavement, the life cycle cost with maintenance costs over a period of 10-20 years is less compared to the conventional one. The technology consists of placing a form work of plastic cells 150 x 150mm and 100mm deep over the prepared foundation of road and placing zero slump concrete in the cells and compacting with road roller/ plate compactor / earth rammer. On curing, a flexible-concrete pavement is obtained which will not wear even under iron tyred carts if aggregates of good quality are used. A model rode has already been constructed in a village close to IIT Kharagpur using the technology IITGP_ROAD Experimentation through pilot project for the IITGP_ROAD technology is being tried I the construction of the rural rods under PMGSY, so as to enable standardization and popularization of this cost effective solution. 4.3 Use of Waster Plastic Blended Bitumen It is possible to improve the performance of bituminous mixed used in the surfacing course of roads. Studies reported in the used of re-cycled plastic, mainly polyethylene, in the manufacture of blended indicated reduced permanent deformation in the form of rutting and reduced low temperature cracking of the pavement surfacing. Laboratory studies were carried out at the Centre for Transportation Engineering of Bangalore University, in which the plastic was used as an additive with heated bitumen n different proportions (ranging from zero to 12% by weight of bitumen) The results of the laboratory investigations indicated that, the addition of processed plastic of about 8.8% by weight of bitumen, helps in substantially improving the stability, strength, fatigue life and other desirable properties of bituminous concrete mix, even under adverse water-logging conditions. The additions of 8.0% by weight of processed plastic for the preparation of modified bitumen results in a saving of 0.4% bitumen by weight of the mix or about 9.6% bitumen per cubic meter of BC mix. [6] Case Studies in India: In Tamil Nadu, length of roads around 1000 m in various stretches were constructed using waste plastic as an additive in bituminous mix under the scheme 1000 km Plastic Tar Road, and found that, the performance of all the road stretches are satisfactory. The performance of the road stretches constructed using waster plastic in Karnataka is also found to be satisfactory. The construction of rods using Waste Plastic in the above states is based on the guidelines developed by Bangalore University. CRRI and College of Engineering, Madhurai. However, standard specifications are not available on the use of waste Plastic in Bituminous road Construction. In this regard, IRC was specially requested by NRRDA for the preparation of such Guidelines for enabling the construction of Rural Roads under PMGSY using Waster Plastic. In order to facilitate the development of Guidelines on this, an Expert Group has been appointed by NRRDA for preparation of interim guidelines for the use of Waste plastic which will be sent to IRC for approval and releasing as IRC guidelines. 5. IMPACTS OF INTRODUCING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES The stabilization of soil with Enzyme based stabilizers like Fujibeton, Terrazyme and Renolith, can eliminate the need for the use of aggregate material in base course resulting in conservation of material. This results in reduction in the cost of construction. A typical analysis for saving of cost in terms of material, machinery and labour for two layers of WBM (75 mm each) and 3.75 m carriageway indicate a saving of about Rs. 5.0 lakhs with medium lead. It Is not only the reduction of cost, but the real interesting part of this is the conservation of natural resources and energy along with preservation of the environment, which gives long way, if such aggregate free construction of rural roads are encouraged and popularized. 6. CONCLUSION From the above discussions, the following conclusions can be drawn: Fujibeton can used to improve CBR for the sub-grades by about 2.6 times. Simple tractor mounted agriculture equipment can be employed for construction and Economy in construction when aggregates are to be brought from far off distance as well as due to reduced thickness of sub base / base course. Terrazyme increases CBR of soil sub-grade by more than 100%. Impedes widespread occurrence of dust from loose fine material in the surface of the soil roadways and reduces cost of construction by 15-20%. The roads constructed using Terrazyme minimizes the material loss of gravel from erosion or abrasion by the traffic on the soil roadways preserving original transverse section and slopes and impedes widespread occurrence of dust from loose fine material in the surface of the soil roadways. The noteworthy feature of soil-Cement-Renolith Stabilization that it requires very little amount of aggregate, performs with increased life and reduced maintenance cost provide a good base for the field Engineers to experiment the construction of unsealed roads in rural areas and also in localities where aggregate are not available in normal leads. [7] The Jute Geo-textile strengthens the soil sub-grade by preventing intermixing of sub-grade and sub-base by acting as a separation layer and further it prevents migration of fines of a sub-grade by acting as a filtration materials. By the pilot

project taken up under PMGSY, it is found that there is cost saving of about 12% in road construction. The IITGP_ROAD technology need to be studied further because even through, the initial cost of Cement Concrete Pavement is at par with the conventional pavement, it is lower than the conventional flexible pavement if maintenance cost is also considered whose bitumen top is to be renewed every 5 years at a cost of over 5 lakhs. The use of modified bitumen with the addition of processed waste plastic of about 8.0% by weight of bitumen helps in substantially improving the stability, strength, fatigue life and other desirable properties of bituminous concrete mix, resulting which improves the longevity and pavement performance with marginal saving in bitumen usage. 7. RECOMMENDATIONS The use of new materials and technologies is not becoming popular in our country mainly due to lack of awareness. Failure to instill confidence in the field engineers by addressing their problems can be another reasons, the third being non-availability of suitable standard equipments. In the light of the fact that efficacy of innovative technologies was established in several case studies taken under varied conditions, time is opportune to initiate the construction of Technology Demonstration Projects. During the implementation of such Projects the field engineers are to be taken into confidence and need to be involved eight form Project Preparation. All technical and implementational processes are to be meticulously documented which become handy in the disseminations process for exposing more field engineers to the technologies. This will instill confidence among them and large scale adoption of these technologies would become possible. The successful demo of these projects also brings out the cost effectiveness and conservation of natural resources that may lead to environmental preservation in the long run. [http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=introduction%20of%20cement%20concrete%20road%20construction&source=web&cd =3&ved=0CEIQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arunachalpwd.org%2Fpdf%2Frenolith001.pdf&ei=sf3ATtTFCpHOrQfOw8m6AQ&us g=AFQjCNEuKV1jYAwXUN9WIw_OaMdpDoycZw, 14/11/11]

Waste Plastic[http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=introduction%20of%20cement%20concrete%20road%20construction&source=w eb&cd=6&ved=0CFkQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dayanandasagar.edu%2Fwaste_plastic.pdf&ei=sf3ATtTFCpHOrQfOw8m6AQ &usg=AFQjCNF6l6giK-u9U39-lzgyNTJ2kyhupw, 14/11/11] Different types of roads[http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=introduction%20of%20cement%20concrete%20road%20construction&source=w eb&cd=8&ved=0CGgQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.auroville.info%2FACUR%2Fdocuments%2Fdifferent_types_roads.pdf&ei=sf 3ATtTFCpHOrQfOw8m6AQ&usg=AFQjCNHg8EQkKVdR76uF_haXUxmmB6o7hA, 14/11/11]