Road ministry to promote new technologies in highway projects

NEW DELHI: The road ministry today said it has decided to implement a ' Value Engineering Programme' to promote new technologies and material in highway projects.

"The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has decided to implement a 'Value Engineering Programme' to promote the use of new technologies, materials and equipment in highways projects executed either under PPP mode or public funding mode," an official statement said.

The programme aims at using innovative technology, materials and equipment to reduce the cost of projects and make them more environment-friendly, while simultaneously ensuring that the roads or bridges and other assets get constructed much faster, and are structurally stronger as well as more durable.

The statement said the programme is expected to increase the speed of construction, reduce construction cost, increase asset durability and improve aesthetics and safety.

The ministry said it has also reconstituted a nine-member experts' panel for approving proposals for use of new technologies, material and equipment.

The reconstituted panel is chaired by SR Tambe, former Secretary, PWD Maharashtra and co-chaired by Prof Ravi Sinha, IIT Mumbai.

"The NPE (National Panel of Experts) will examine all technical matters involving the new technologies, materials and equipment referred to it by the concerned Engineers or concessionaires/ contractors," the statement said.

The NPE will also resolve the technical issues which arise as a result of the difference in views between engineers and contractors regarding implementation, besides deciding about the need for field trials of any new or innovative technology/ materials/ equipment before its adoption, the statement added.