Hyderabad: Driving on the Necklace Road has always been a pleasure for motorists. Amidst the picturesque ambiance, motorists are now enjoying the ride more with the newly laid and pothole-free Vaccum Dewatered Cement Concrete (VDCC) road all along from Imax rotary to the Sailing club (Buddha Bhavan).
There’s more, an exclusive cycling track with 1.5 wide space has been developed on either side along the entire stretch covering 6 km. Apart from facilitating a smooth ride for motorists, the purpose of laying the VDCC road is to avoid rainwater stagnation and to ensure the longevity of the road.
Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has taken up the beautification and development of the entire Necklace Road with a cost of Rs 26 crore. While, VDCC road works were done and the stretch is opened to traffic for the last few days, the pavement and lighting works are in progress.
A striking aspect of these works is that majority of the works were taken up and done during the Covid-19 lockdown period. Replacing the conventional bitumen road with VDCC road aid increases the longevity and ensures there would be no potholes or uneven surfaces on the stretch.
HMDA took up the road works as the stretch was damaged at several places and water stagnation was a major problem during the monsoon. During the rainy season, traffic police have been complaining about frequent water stagnation on the stretch and the cascading impact on traffic flow. Considering all these factors, it was decided to replace the entire 6 km stretch from Imax Rotary to Sailing Club with VDCC road, said a senior official from HMDA.
The works were executed in two phases to avoid inconvenience to traffic. Initially, works were taken up on one side of the stretch from the Necklace Road MMTS station end towards the Sailing Club end. Traffic was permitted only on the other side of the road. Similarly, works on the other side were taken up after the works were completed on the first stretch, he added.
In addition to the main carriageway, beautification works were also taken up of which some of the remaining works were in progress. With the central median works done, presently the damaged portions on the pavements, pathways, and curbs were also being replaced with new ones.
Advantages of VDCC road
Vacuum Dewatered Cement Concrete (VDCC) road work involves dewatering of concrete by a vacuum process. The vacuum dewatering process removes surplus water present in the concrete and it is done using vacuum pressure equipment. The dewatering exercise is completed in about two minutes per one centimeter thickness of the road and then the dewatered concrete is compacted and dried. The entire exercise facilitates strength for the road and increases its life.
