PMC begins survey of 15 arterial roads under RAMS
he roads being surveyed include: Ahmednagar Road, Solapur Road, Magarpatta Road, Pashan Road, Baner Road, Sangamwadi Road, New Airport Road, Karve Road, Paud Road, Satara Road, Sinhagad Road, Bibwewadi Road, North Main Road, Ganesh Khind Road and Bajirao Road
PUNE: In order to prioritise roads with regard to repairs and maintenance, especially the allocation and utilisation of limited funds of the road department, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has started a detailed survey of 15 prominent roads under the Road Asset Management System (RAMS).
The roads being surveyed include: Ahmednagar Road, Solapur Road, Magarpatta Road, Pashan Road, Baner Road, Sangamwadi Road, New Airport Road, Karve Road, Paud Road, Satara Road, Sinhagad Road, Bibwewadi Road, North Main Road, Ganesh Khind Road and Bajirao Road.
The RAMS uses engineering parameters such as International Roughness Index (IRI) and Pavement Condition Index (PCI) to provide details of roads such as size, depth and exact location of potholes apart from suggesting the timing of and alternatives for road treatment. It is a technical method for managing road maintenance resources in a scientific manner for optimum benefits. According to civic officials, RAMS is useful in planning budgetary requirements based on a rational analysis of the present road condition.
V G Kulkarni, chief superintendent engineer of the PMC road department, said, “After the said 15 roads, other roads across the city will be surveyed under the RAMS. Various technical tests of the roads will be carried out under the RAMS. Through this, mainly the ride quality and carrying capacity of the roads will be checked as per IRC (Indian Road Congress) ratings. Based on this information, the order of priority of roads’ repairs and maintenance, and the thickness of actual repairs’ layers will be determined.”
“Though the Pune Smart City had carried out the RAMS in 2016, it wasn’t updated thereafter. Now, the PMC is carrying out the survey under the RAMS to update road information. So that the same can be properly used while planning maintenance and repair works. Roads wider than 10 metres will be surveyed. The contractors will conduct the survey after every six months for three years, and update information,” Kulkarni said.
Sahebrao Dandge, superintendent engineer of the PMC road department, said, “The updated information on roads can be used by other departments such as water supply, drainage, electricity etc. It will help to reduce the frequent digging of roads, and keep the roads free of potholes throughout the year.”
The PMC has a road network of 1,400 km in the city which excludes the newly-merged areas. The newly-merged areas have another 300 to 400 km of roads. Repairs and maintenance of these roads is the responsibility of the PMC road department, which for the most part, is busy reinstating roads that have been dug up for various reasons. The condition of the roads further worsens during the monsoon, and the civic administration faces criticism for pothole-riddled roads year after year. Hence, the PMC has now decided to use the maximum funds on providing better roads and maintaining road quality.