White topping Technology

Current Context : The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) plans to implement a new policy for repairing existing national highway sections using “White topping Technology”.

WHAT IS WHITETOPPING TECHNOLOGY?

• It refers to the process of resurfacing existing asphalt pavements with a layer of concrete, effectively extending the lifespan and improving the performance of the roadway.
• This technology widely adopted under
• It is an effective long-term solution for addressing ongoing maintenance issues in roads with poor drainage.
• It involves applying a Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) overlay on top of existing bituminous roads.
• Benefits : Whitetopping provides long life, low maintenance, low life-cycle costs, and environmental benefits compared to bituminous overlays.

India’s road network is the second-largest in the world, covering over 6.2 million kilometers.

National Highways (NHs):

• These are the primary roads that connect major cities, ports, state capitals, and industrial hubs across the country.
• Managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
• They account for about 2% of the total road network but carry around 40% of the total road traffic.
• India has presently about 46 lakh km length of National Highways (NH) network.