By Robert A Emmanuel
Minister of Public Works Maria Browne told Parliament yesterday that her ministry will be heavily focusing on community roads as part of its 2024 agenda.
As part of that initiative, she said ministry technocrats have been working on ways to reduce the appearance of potholes, while being cost-effective.
Speaking during the budget debate, Minister Browne revealed that the use of a roller-compacted concrete pavement (RCCP) method will begin in the second quarter of 2024.
“Now interestingly, these roller compact concrete pavements, they use the same materials as we’d use in regular concrete construction of roads. However, it is cheaper because of the composition of these materials, and [RCCP] can withstand up to 10,000 PSI pressure,” she said.
According to industry trade association, the Roller Compacted Concrete Pavement Council, RCCP is “a type of non-reinforced concrete pavement placed with high density paving equipment and then compacted with vibratory rollers”.
They further state that while it uses the same ingredients as conventional concrete: aggregates, Portland cement, supplementary cementing materials, chemical admixtures and water, unlike conventional concrete, the engineering and construction of this pavement is different from conventional concrete pavement, making it a stiff, no-slump concrete mix.
“We’re looking at roads that are very bumpy that have not seen any sort of asphalt or concrete ever,” Minister Browne said.
“And so, we will be constructing roads in communities like these to allow for the individuals to have a better traverse to their homes and, of course, for it to be more aesthetically pleasing.
“Because at the end of the day, we have lovely communities where individuals spend a lot of money on their mortgages to build lovely homes and then, when you step outside, the roads are in such deplorable states,” she noted.