Mumbai News: BMC Enforces Field Dry Density Tests To Ensure Quality In Western Suburbs Road Concretisation

The civic authorities have mandated that Field Dry Density (FDD) testing be conducted during road concretisation to ensure the road's strength and load-bearing capacity. On Wednesday, 3,116 cubic meters of concrete were poured across 101 roadworks in the western suburbs in one day. However, BMC has stressed the importance of balancing speed with quality in the execution of these projects.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijeet Bangar conducted a surprise inspection of road concretisation work in the Western suburbs on Wednesday night. He visited Shri Agrasen Maharaj Chowk in Santa Cruz East, Hanuman Nagar and Natwar Nagar in Jogeshwari East, Pawanbagh Marg in Goregaon West, and Sri Ayyappa Temple Marg in Borivali West. During the visit, it was observed that Dry Lean Concrete (DLC) was laid before the Pavement Quality Concrete (PQC) work at Shri Agrasen Maharaj Chowk and Pawanbagh Marg. DLC, a low-cement, drier concrete, serves as a base layer for PQC. After pouring the DLC, a road roller compacts it through multiple passes. 

"The 'Field Dry Density' test ensures proper compaction; additional roller passes are made if necessary. This process guarantees the road’s strength, load-bearing capacity, and long-term stability, with regular inspections crucial for maintaining infrastructure integrity," said Bangar. Meanwhile, during the concrete work on Sri Ayyappa Temple Marg in Borivali West, it was observed that trees were being affected. Bangar instructed to modify the road alignment to protect the trees. "While speeding up the road work, it is essential to maintain the appropriate balance with quality. For roads that are not yet being worked on, care should be taken to ensure that no potholes develop," he added. 

During the inspection, various tests were conducted at the actual work sites of all the roads, including slump tests, cube tests, moisture content apparatus, and field dry density tests. The results of these tests were found to be satisfactory, said the civic official. The inspection was attended by Assistant Professor Solomon Debbarma from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, the Chief Engineer (Roads and Transportation) Girish Nikam, the deputy chief engineer (Western Suburbs) Sanjay Borse, and representatives from the quality control agency.

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