HYDERABAD: To overcome the problem of road erosion and potholes, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is laying 247 kilometre-long Vacuum Dewatered Cement Concrete (VDCC) roads in the city.
Unlike the regular gravel roads, layers of concrete floors are laid to build a VDCC road.
However, the ride on these roads is not as smooth as it would be on regular roads laid with gravel or bitumen. For instance, after laying the VDCC road, there is no water logging even after a heavy downpour on Road No.4, Ameenpur but the drive is quite rough. The same is the case with Road No.3 Banjara Hills and Road No.46 Jubilee Hills.
“These roads are mainly being laid on stretches where there is frequent water logging. Even the best quality bitumen is damaged if the water is stagnant on the road,,” said P Chinna Reddy, GHMC executive engineer of Chandanagar circle. As of date, 80 kms of VDCC roads have been laid. After assessing the longevity of the stretch, GHMC decided to extend the project to other parts of the city. According to GHMC records, only by-lanes and connecting roads are being converted into VDCC stretches.
“The ride is not smooth on this road. When the road was under construction there was traffic congestion too. We were informed by our apartment association that the road will stop water logging. Whether the road is useful or not can only be said after downpour,” said Vishnu Vardhan, a private employee, who uses the Ameenpur VDCC Road near Sridevi theatre.