Mastic Asphalt to resurface expressway

The Public Works Department (PWD) of the state government of Maharashtra, which is responsible for maintaining the Western Express Highway – one of the worst roads in the city this monsoon – plans to spend huge funds on resurfacing the entire highway from October 14 onwards. For this, it plans to use expensive, high-quality asphalt called Mastic asphalt, which has high bitumen content and is supposedly more resistant to wear than ordinary asphalt. PWD will spend Rs. 25-cr on two separate resurfacing contracts – one from Mahim to Andheri and the other from Andheri to Dahisar Garden. This, PWD officials promise, will ensure smoother journeys for future and that if the experience of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is anything to go by; the new asphalt is unlikely to work wonders. Work orders have been issued in two parts – from Mahim to Andheri and from Andheri to Dahisar – and will begin immediately after the monsoon season ends, said sources.