Potholes may soon be a thing of the past, if the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways goes ahead with the proposal to use thermocol fill as base in place of soil for construction. The Ministry has asked consultant firms from Europe, Japan and USA to submit a cost analysis for use of Geofoam against conventional fill like soil for highway construction.
The move is latest in the line of steps taken by the Minister Nitin Gadkari to improve the overall sector. Thermocol, a brand of Geofoam, can cut the project cost by 30% and reduce the time for construction of roads drastically. Moreover, Geofoam is 100 times lighter than the soil and does not expand or contract with changing temperatures. It does not get washed away by floods or landslides when compared to soil used now for base. Use of large amount of soil can be avoided with the use of Geofoam.
The Border Road Organisation (BRO) which constructs roads for the strategic need and socio-economic development of inaccessible border areas of the country, has been using Geofoam for construction of roads in difficult terrain. It is more durable, easy to transport, and requires less manpower for construction as sheets just have to be lifted and placed.