SLUTSK DISTRICT, 6 October (BelTA) – It is necessary to improve the quality of municipal roads up to standards of major motorways. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko gave the relevant instructions while on a working trip in Slutsk District, Minsk Oblast on 6 October, BelTA has learned.
Alexander Lukashenko said: “We have to upgrade the network of municipal roads up to the level of national motorways.”
The need to restore municipal roads was mentioned during the government conference held by the head of state in April 2017. Back then it was noted that major motorways in Belarus are in a good condition and it is now necessary to take a closer look at roads in the regions. As a result of the conference Alexander Lukashenko gave instructions to analyze various ways of road construction and study international practices. He was briefed about the results on 6 October.
The head of state was informed in detail about the state of the municipal roads network, prospects of its modernization and development. Transport and Communications Minister Anatoly Sivak noted that in addition to traditional technologies for making road surfaces out of hot bituminous concrete and monolithic cement concrete they have developed and adapted other road repair techniques based on the best foreign analogs. Alexander Lukashenko was made familiar with their peculiarities and advantages in practice.
The technology for making surface layers and foundations out of cold regenerated bitumen-concrete mixtures (cold recycling) is used to improve the carrying ability of the road pavement or to fix a large number of defects on the road pavement. The propagation of this technology was slow in the past due to insufficient knowledge about how cement and emulsified bitumen should be used together. The road construction science has resolved the problem since then.
The technology allows recycling up to 100% of the mineral materials and reduces energy costs by 25-50% in comparison with the hot bituminous concrete technology.
The technology for making foundations out of materials reinforced with cement and modified additives is used to make roads where traffic is light, gravel roads, and unsurfaced roads. The technology removes dust, prevents the washboard effect on the road, creates a rather solid surface, and reduces costs in addition to improving operation reliability.
The rolled concrete mixture technology is used to make roads with a great carrying capacity. Such road pavements are used for roads with heavy traffic: approach roads to industrial enterprises, railway nodes, and other cargo-generating junctions.
The existing asphalt-concrete and gravel pavements are repaired when the carrying ability of the road pavement does not have to be increased.
All these technologies are being studied by specialists during the national seminar on municipal roads repair and restoration. Representatives of the oblast administrations and road repair and construction enterprises are taking part in the seminar, too.
