12 April 2024

Subject: Only in India, roads develop potholes during rainy season!

Dear Friends:
Recently, I happened to meet a young, conscientious and inquisitive highway engineer on a road
project. The following Q and A ensued (questions from him and answers from me), which I am
sure would be of interest to you. Even if you are not an engineer you will understand it.

Question
Why bituminous roads in India other than national highways develop potholes
prematurely especially during monsoons? This gives the impression that concrete roads are
better.
Answer
Whereas quality of materials and construction are important, there is a fundamental highway
engineering requirement that the bituminous mix used in road construction should be dense so
that it does not soak up rainwater. Even the “aam aadmi” knows (many of our highway engineers
in MORTH and Indian Roads Congress don’t know or ignore it) that water is Enemy Number 1
of bitumen and can destroy the road regardless whether it is a village road or a national highway.
This means we should not use the “open” graded (such as premix carpet) or “semi dense”
bituminous mixes in any road construction, which soak up rainwater. However, such mixes are
permitted and used across India on a wide scale on major district road (MDRs); other district
roads (ODRs); and village or rural roads. All these three categories comprise 95% of the total
Indian road network.

Question
Why do we permit such bituminous mixes which soak up rainwater?
Answer
Road specifications issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) in the
so-called orange book contain 7 types of bituminous mixes which can be categorized as dense,
semi dense, and open graded. That means any bituminous mix (good or bad) which is black and
is listed in this book is sacred and can be used by highway agencies such as State PWDs.

Question

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Can you please list which mixes are dense, semi dense and open graded?
Answer
Yes, I can.
Dense graded bituminous mixes are: DBM Grading 2; BC Grading 1; and BC Grading 2
[Note: DBM Grading 1 is not listed because due to large nominal aggregate size of 37.5 mm it is
permeable to water and fails prematurely.]
Semi dense graded bituminous mixes are: SDBC Grading 1 and 2; Mixed Seal Surfacing
(MSS)
Open graded bituminous mixes are: BM Grading 1 and 2; and Premix carpet (PMC) with seal
coat

Question
This means of the 7 bituminous mixes listed in the MORTH orange book, four are not
desirable. These four mixes are either open graded or semi dense graded and therefore
would easily soak up rainwater during monsoons and fail prematurely. Is that correct?
Answer
Yes, that is correct.

Question
Are there any published technical papers in India to support the contention that these four
open or semi dense mixes are not desirable and therefore should not be used?
Answer
Yes. Three technical papers (authored by me and co-authored by Prof. Veeraragavan of IIT
Madras) have been published by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) since 2008 and also presented
as formal papers in IRC annual sessions. The third one was presented in November 2017 and can
be accessed at the following link:
https://www.scribd.com/document/348021492/Review-of-Practices-for-Improving-Ride-Quality-
and-Periodical-Renewal-of-Bituminous-Pavements-in-India
Recent research work at IIT Guwahati has shown similar results.

Question

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Why engineers in MORTH and the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) do not pay any attention
to published technical papers and delete these undesirable bituminous mixes from their
specifications?
Answer
That is a good question! MORTH, NHAI and IRC appear to be dominated by the serving and
retired MORTH and PWD engineers who generally believe in status quo. Many open bituminous
mixes such as BM and PMC were developed long time ago when we did not have hot mix plants
which are capable of producing dense bituminous mixes. Now, we have numerous hot mix plants
all over India. But our “status quo” engineers just want to hang on to outdated, useless
technologies.

Question
Why not these “status quo” engineers prepare a technical paper to justify the use of the
four semi dense and open bituminous mixes in the specifications?
Answer
I do not think they can. The fundamentals of highway engineering are not on their side.

Question
Then how do they respond when asked?
Answer
They just give vague answers such as follows:
 These mixes are good for India; they have served us well.
 I have tried these mixes, they really work.
 India cannot afford dense mixes. [Although the relatively cheap bituminous mixes may
last for 1-2 years, and therefore, are costlier based on life-cycle cost analyses.]
Unfortunately, these engineers are very good at convincing their bosses: both bureaucrats and
politicians to maintain the status quo.

Question
Why our IITs and NITs do not conduct research on these 4 bituminous mixes? That
appears to be the need of the hour.
Answer

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That is a good question. I believe many of them are more interested in trying exotic or strange
materials in bituminous mixes. Even the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) should take
cognizance of this subject after reading our three IRC technical papers and give their frank,
technical opinion to MORTH and IRC in nation’s interest. Unfortunately, they have not. Nobody
wants to create any waves.

Question
What about Indian highway engineers at large both in public and private sector? Do they
support this cause?
Answer
I believe a “silent majority” does. But most of them (including the academia) appear to be afraid
to come out in the open and support this technically justified common sense cause which is truly
in India’s interest. I do not understand why they are so afraid in writing to MORTH and IRC.

Question
Are open graded or semi dense mixes used in developed countries?
Answer
No. Those countries concur with Indian “aam aadmi” opinion that water is Enemy Number 1 of
bitumen and eventually destroys it.

Question
“Aam aadmi” in India believes our highway engineers intentionally construct “bad” roads
so they can get “fat” road budget year after year. Your comment?
Answer
There are two types of engineers. One type is just ignorant and does not know there are
undesirable bituminous mixes that soak up rainwater. The other type does what the “Aam
Aadmi” believes that is, try to get “fat” road budget year after year.

Question
Based on your experience as a practicing highway engineer (over 30 years in the US and
over 30 years in India), which bituminous mixes you recommend for India?
Answer

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I recommend the following four dense graded bituminous mixes only for all types of roads
including SH; MDRs; ODRs; and village roads. (No options or exceptions should be permitted):
Base Course DBM Grading 2 (nominal aggregate size 25 mm)
Binder Course BC Grading 1 (nominal aggregate size 19 mm)
Wearing Course BC Grading 2 (nominal aggregate size 12.5 mm)
BC Grading 3 (nominal aggregate size 9.5 mm)
Open graded premix carpet (PMC) is used extensively on our village roads such as Pradhan
Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) and non-PMGSY roads. It should be replaced with
mechanized surface dressing with pre-coated aggregate, which effectively waterproofs the road,
thus minimizing potholes. Surface dressing costs only 40 percent of what PMC does and would
last much longer. This step would revolutionize the PMGSY program by saving thousands of
crores of rupees every year and increasing the life of village (rural) roads.
After my meeting with Hon. Narendra Singh Tomar on 26 January 2020, the Ministry of Rural
Development (MORD) decided to replace the premix carpet (PMC) with surface dressing. It
should be noted that NO country in the world would like to use “water-soaking” open graded
PMC; they prefer surface dressing on low to medium traffic roads. All MDRs and ODRs should
be surfaced with dense bituminous mixes only as mentioned earlier.

Question
Bad roads are a genuine national problem. So many people are dying from potholes
everyday (almost 10 per day, 2017 data) what to talk about the serious injuries and
inconvenience and crores of rupees being wasted by using undesirable bituminous mixes.
Have you written to Hon. Nitin Gadkari on this?
Answer
Yes, I have sent numerous letters to the officials of his ministry MORTH and also an open letter
dated 14 August 2021 to him which gives all details as to which bituminous mixes should be
banned and which dense mixes should replace the bad ones. That open letter can be accessed at
the following link:
https://www.scribd.com/document/520140322/Open-Letter-to-Hon-Gadkari-MORTH-on-
Savings-of-Over-One-Lakh-Crores-Per-Year-14-August-2021
Whereas Hon. Gadkari has done a fantastic job in developing an effective network of national
highways, he has left the fate of other 95% roads at the mercy of the “status quo” bureaucrats
and technocrats of his ministry MORTH.

Question

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Have you written to Hon. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India?
Answer
Yes, I have. I do not think PM Modi’s “own eyes” have seen my letter. The PM Office informed
me that my letter has been sent to MORTH for “information and necessary action”. Obviously, it
went to the “status quo” engineers in MORTH and IRC for “necessary action”. You can guess
the fate of that letter, no positive action! Sometimes, they just forward to the Indian Roads
Congress where it is lost in technical committees.

Question
Do you have any hope under such circumstances?
Answer
Yes. I am an optimist. I am hoping young, progressive engineers like you who truly believe in
the fundamentals of highway engineering would arise one day and will bring about the radical
change we have discussed. We have this malignant cancer such as premix carpet in our road
system, which requires “radical surgery” rather than a band aid. I am also hoping one day Hon.
PM Modi will read my letter with his own eyes, will get to know this reality, put his foot down,
and act rather than simply forwarding my letters to MORTH for “necessary action”, which is an
exercise in futility.

Question
What exactly you would like Hon. Modi to order MORTH?
Answer
MORTH should issue a no-nonsense circular to the State PWDs immediately to delete the water-
soaking bituminous mixes from their respective Basic Schedule of Rates (BSR) and replace them
with dense bituminous mixes as shown in the following two tables. Since it is simply a case of
common sense, MORTH should not be allowed to refer the case to IRC, that would be futile and
just a delaying tactic.
Table 1. Dense bituminous mixes to be used for the intended courses
Bituminous Pavement Course Dense Graded Bituminous Mix
Base Course DBM Grading 2 (NMAS 25 mm)
Binder Course BC Grading 1 (NMAS 19 mm)
Wearing Course (coarse) BC Grading 2 (NMAS 13.2 mm)
Wearing Course (fine) BC Grading 3 (NMAS 9 mm)

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Table 2. Bituminous mixes to be deleted and their replacements
Bituminous Mixes to be Deleted Replacement Bituminous Mixes
SDBC – both gradations 30 mm BC Grading 3
Mixed Seal Surfacing (MSS) – both 30 mm BC Grading 3
gradations
BM – both gradations DBM Grading 2
Premix Carpet (PMC) with Seal Coat Surface Dressing with Precoated
Aggregate or 30 mm BC Grading 3
DBM Grading 1 DBM Grading 2

Regards,
Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal
Jaipur
12 April 2024

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

About the Writer

Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal is Associate Director Emeritus of the National Center for Asphalt
Technology (NCAT) based at Auburn University, USA. NCAT is the largest asphalt (bitumen)
road technology centre 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 served as: (a) President, Association
of Asphalt Paving Technologists, (b) Chairman, American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM) International Committee on Road Paving Standards, and (c) Chairman, US
Transportation Research Board Committee on Asphalt Roads. Prof. Kandhal co-authored the
first ever US textbook on asphalt road technology, now used by more than 25 universities.

Prof. Kandhal has been a practicing highway engineer for 30 years each in the US and India. 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 2005.
He has now published in July 2016 the first ever textbook cum reference book, “Bituminous
Road Construction in India”. He received the “Lifetime Achievement Award in Asphalt Road
Technology” from the International Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists in 2012.