The Hindu Business Line : Natpac to set up highway engineering lab

THE National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac) is in the process of setting up a highway engineering laboratory in what is essentially a `lab-to-road' foray being envisaged by an autonomous R&D institution under the State Government.

Natpac will hit the road by taking up on its own field investigations in the areas of pavement engineering, maintenance and management using groundbreaking construction techniques and innovative use of materials, according to Dr T. Elangovan, Director.

This will obviate the need to rely on outside agencies for carrying out necessary field tests and result in saving in precious time and money, he told Business Line here.

The activities of Natpac range from R&D work in the area of transportation, applied research and sponsored studies involving engineering surveys to preparation of feasibility analysis, project planning, evaluation, monitoring and quality control of infrastructure development projects.

It also specialises in highway engineering, traffic and transportation planning, public transport system, inland water transport, tourism planning, rural roads, transport energy and environment studies.

Explaining the case for a separate highway engineering lab, Dr Elangovan said recurring failure of paving on the national highways has defied a satisfactory solution for long. A proper road maintenance strategy is conspicuous by its total absence. This has invariably resulted in sub-optimal utilisation of limited resources. This is a situation that typically warrants support in the form of an advanced material testing-cum-highway engineering lab, he added.

According to Ms B.G. Sreedevi, Deputy Chief Projects Coordinator and Head, Highway Engineering Division, Natpac, the research programmes to be taken up for the next three years have been identified. First among these is pavement performance evaluation of rubberised roads.

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has recommended the use of modified bitumen for at least 10 per cent of all upcoming highway development projects.

The specifications have not been fully evolved for want of consistent field tests and performance evaluation of test tracks.

Natpac proposes to remedy the situation by launching material testing and field trials on test tracks laid with rubberised bitumen, Ms Sreedevi said. It plans to develop its own test track within rented premises at suburban Nalanchira here.

Another work that the lab would be pursuing is on-field validation of the pavement option study that Natpac has already completed. The suitability of different pavement options for different soil locations and long-term pavement performance will be assessed on field tracks. The lab is in the process of acquiring sophisticated instruments for the purpose.

Roughness measurement studies for a wide spectrum of roads with varying degrees of surface quality will be another priority. Roughness is the most important parameter in any road user cost models and plays a predominant role in the estimation of vehicle operating costs.

Roughness progression data from periodic pavement condition surveys can be helpful in predicting pavement performance and deterioration.

The Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment has sanctioned a grant of Rs 20.11 lakh for the lab for a period of three years and has already released the first instalment of Rs 8.11 lakh, Ms Sreedevi said.