Open Letter to Hon.

Nitin Gadkari on Pothole Problem on National and State

Highways in India
3 February 2018

Honourable Shri Nitin Gadkari

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH)
Transport Bhawan, 1, Parliament Street
New Delhi-110 001

Subject: Why contractors do not repair potholes promptly on National Highways and Other
Highways in India

Honourable Minister:

Madras High Court has recently asked the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to slash
toll charges by half if the contractors do not maintain the highway properly. The main
maintenance problem consists of potholes which cause serious injuries and deaths of motorists. I
am glad your ministry agrees with the High Court ruling and has advised the officials in the
states to maintain highways properly.

However, let’s examine as to why potholes are generally not repaired promptly. Unfortunately,
our engineers/contractors only think about pothole patching with hot mix asphalt which has the
following limitations:

1. During monsoon hot mix cannot be used because the potholes are damp or wet.
2. During winter hot mix is not available because plants are shut down due to cold weather.
3. During summer the use of hot mix is not economical and/or suitable for a few scattered,
isolated potholes on the highway. It is not possible to transport small quantities of hot
mix in trucks because the hot mix cools off and cannot be used. Therefore, some
contractors wait until a large number of potholes develop on the highway.
4. Use of hot mix for repairing potholes is material intensive (bitumen tack coat material
needed); labour intensive (pothole needs to be squared and sprayed with tack coat); and
equipment intensive (roller is needed for compaction).

All of the preceding problems can be solved by using an idiot-proof, readymade, economical,
permanent, cold bituminous mix which can also be stored in 50-kg bags for over 6 months. This
mix can be used throughout the year including inclement weather (monsoon and cold winter).
For scattered potholes, the 50-kg bags can be taken on a small pickup or a car. This way potholes
can be repaired promptly as and when they develop throughout the year. A stitch in time saves
nine.

Sir, you will be glad to recall that you officially released on 19 August 2014 in New Delhi an
Indian Roads Congress Standard IRC:116, “Specifications for Readymade Pothole Patching Mix

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Using Cut-Back Bitumen”. That is exactly the desirable readymade pothole patching mix which I
have discussed above. The Indian Roads Congress adopted this standard after this mix was used
with great success in Rajasthan on Jaipur city streets, state highways, and various national
highways throughout the year.

This unpatented cold mix can be manufactured by any local “C” Class contractor across India
using existing portable or conventional mixing plants; locally available aggregate; MC-800
Cutback Bitumen meeting IS: 217 and anti-stripping agent from bitumen suppliers (for example,
Hincol and Tiki Tar supply in Rajasthan). The production cost of this readymade pothole
patching mix is Rs. 7.40 per kg and the application cost is Rs. 0.46 per kg. This is also much
cheaper than hot mix patching which is done after potholes have become larger and deeper
during monsoon and winter. There is NO other readymade patching mix in India which is
cheaper and can be stored for more than 6 months. Cold mixes with emulsion have been
suggested but they cannot be stored; cannot be applied during monsoon because emulsion will
get washed away; and cannot be applied during winter because emulsions will tend to freeze.

Unfortunately, our engineers and contractors are largely ignorant about this unpatented IRC
Standard pothole patching mix which is the ANSWER to our pothole problem across India.
Although in a recent editorial on potholes in IRC “Indian Highways” magazine, Secretary
General Shri S.K. Nirmal has advocated its use, it is our moral responsibility to educate,
publicize, and encourage its use to eliminate the menace of potholes. I urge MORTH to issue a
circular as soon as possible to do the needful not only for national highways but other highways
and streets in India. All government highway agencies across India should be advised to include
this readymade pothole patching mix conforming to IRC: 116 as an item in their Basic Schedule
of Rates (BSR) to facilitate the tendering process and easy implementation.

Please let me know if I can be of any voluntary technical assistance based on my 30 years’
experience in the US and over 20 years’ experience in India as a highway engineer (my brief
resume at the end).

Sincerely,

Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal

Karanpura House, 50 Raj Bhawan Rd.
Civil Lines, Jaipur 302 006
pkandhal@gmail.com

“American roads are good not because America is rich, but America is rich because
American roads are good.” - John F. Kennedy

CC: Hon. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India

Shri Yudhvir Singh Malik, Secretary MORTH
Shri Manoj Kumar, Director General Road Development, MORTH
Shri Deepak Kumar, Chairman, National Highway Authority of India

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ABOUT THE WRITER

Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal is Associate Director Emeritus of the National Center for Asphalt
Technology (NCAT) based at Auburn University, Alabama, U.S.A. NCAT is the largest asphalt
(bitumen) road technology center in the world.

Prior to joining NCAT in 1988, Prof. Kandhal served as Chief Asphalt Road Engineer of the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for 17 years. He has been chairman or president of
many national and international very prestigious organizations in the asphalt road technology
area:

Prof. Kandhal has been a practicing highway engineer in India for 20 years and in the US for 30
years. Recently he has drafted many standards for the Indian Roads Congress including
specifications for dense graded bituminous mixes, stone matrix asphalt and readymade pothole
patching mix. He was also instrumental single-handedly in introducing viscosity grading of
bitumen in India in lieu of penetration grading in 2005.

In August 2011, Prof. Kandhal was inducted on the “Wall of Honour” established at the largest
asphalt road research center in the United States. In April 2012, he received the “Lifetime
Achievement Award in Asphalt Road Technology” from the International Association of Asphalt
Paving Technologists during their annual banquet held in Austin, Texas, USA.