What is better than a smooth, pothole-free road? One that has put plastic waste to good use. A new concrete road connecting RMZ Ecoworld and the Outer Ring Road (ORR) to ease the traffic congestion in the area has been built entirely from 100% recycled plastic.
The project, undertaken under a partnership between the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), PotHoleRaja, a social venture, and ORR companies, has been constructed using what is touted as a first-of-its-kind solution by PotHoleRaja called ‘GridMats’. This, explained the company in a release, is a patented product that is eco-friendly, durable and crafted entirely from 100% recycled plastic waste to construct pavements and roads.
“Made from recycled polypropylene, GridMats are placed above the bedding layer and packed with different filling options, creating a permanent, flat, high-quality surface in less than half the time, and at 20% to 25% cheaper the cost,” explained the release.
Commenting on the project, Sourabh Kumar, director, PotHoleRaja, said: “Currently, commuters exiting Ecoworld to go towards Marathahalli have to take a U-turn at Bellandur and the ones who are entering Ecoworld from ORR face a lot of inconvenience due to the traffic pile up in the area. This pile up is primarily due to commuters having to take a U-turn in a congested junction. A well-designed connecting road directly to Ecoworld will cut down on commuting time to a great extent.”
Mr. Sourabh said around 3,000 kg of plastic waste was used in building the road. “It consumes 30% less water than traditional concrete road and it does not require any steel reinforcement. Traditional concrete road technology would have emitted 46.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions to complete this construction. However, GridMats produce only 11.9 tonnes—a significant reduction when compared to the conventional method. We have cut down on close to 34.6 tonnes of CO2e (Carbon Dioxide equivalent emissions) which is the equivalent of emissions produced by driving a car for 1,38,600 km,” he added.
