NHAI building 270-km Jammu-Srinagar NH with plastic waste

In a first of its kind experiment in Jammu and Kashmir, the NHAI has decided to use plastic and polythene dumped in go-downs of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) for laying the 270-km four lanes in the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. About 400 metric tons (MT) of polythene was seized by the SPCB and other agencies after the State HC banned the use and manufacture of polythene in the state. Official sources said that under the pilot project, five metric tons of polythene would be tested on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway using the existing technology available in India and, if successful, will be replicated on the strategic highway, which connects Kashmir Valley with the rest of India. There is also a plan to lay roads using waste material in the two capital cities and towns of the state. If the experiment succeeds, the agency will find an alternative way of disposing plastic waste as many states in India have adopted this technique. Roads laid with asphalt mixed with plastic are resistant to water, cold weather and general wear and tear, said Purshotam Kumar, Project Director, NHAI, Ramban Area. As per the technical details, polythene and plastic is first shredded and then mixed with bitumen at very high temperature. Later, it forms one of the layers when macadamisation is carried out of a particular road.