Maccaferri solutions are flexible suiting fragile geology and customised as per local conditions.

- Vikramjiet Roy

Managing Director, Maccaferri India

What are the key solutions offered by the company for roads and highways projects in India?

Maccaferri provides a wide range of solutions for roads and highway projects in India. We have used the MacRes^® and ParaMesh reinforced soil wall system, one of our key solutions for vertical soil reinforcement structures on projects all over the world. It is used in a variety of projects, including development of bridges (wing walls and abutments), trains, highways, airports, quarries, and other industrial areas. The other solution is vital for stabilisation of road pavements. We provide a variety of unique geogrids, including MacGrid® EG, the best solution for improving the soil characteristics of the layers of pavement. This reinforcement, which is put within the unbound granular layer, is useful for regulating deformation and rutting, allowing the layer thickness to be reduced.

Nowadays new construction methodologies as well design by various software come into existent to make it easy for the implementation of structure practically. We invented gabions and dramatically changed civil engineering's landscape.  Due to adverse effects of climate changes, the concept of gabion wall retaining structure plays vital role for road construction especially in hilly areas as well as in flooding areas on the river banks. The primary purpose of gabion retaining wall is to provide lateral support to soil resisting active earth pressure with self weight. Maccaferri also has ErdoX Snow units for avalanche formation zone. Maccaferri has conducted avalanche protection measures for the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) using flexible Snow Umbrella units, commonly known as ErdoX Snow units. These are self-supporting metallic pyramid constructions that are light in weight, easy to transport, and quick to install. ErdoX Snow units hold the collected snowpack, preventing an avalanche from starting.

The government plans to expand the highway network by 25,000 km in 2022-23 as per the Union budget 2022. What is your view on this in the current market scenario? What opportunities and challenges do you foresee in achieving this target?

As per the Union Budget, the Hon'ble Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the national highway network will be expanded by 25,000 km during 2022-23. Also, the national ropeway development programme will be taken up in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode, which will be a preferred ecologically sustainable alternative in lieu of conventional roads in difficult hilly areas.

Given the current scenario of the country and the challenging times, it is safe to say that this is a masterful budget plan. It will not only help solidify the nation's highway system but also be of immense help to areas which are in dire need of an infrastructure upgrade. Additionally, the inclusion of sustainable alternatives is a huge addition to mitigate the environmental and climate crisis that we face today. Some of the challenges can be unfamiliarity with sustainable technology, sometimes initial higher cost (lower life cycle cost), long bureaucratic processes, and resistance to adopt new technology. But I do visualise more opportunities than challenges in achieving sustainable development target because the technology and resources that are available to us today are going to lay a firm base to achieve our Net Zero goal. In the past few years, the government has also laid emphasis on types of material to be used in construction. In addition to this, I would like to put emphasis that we are very keen to put our minds together to come up with better and innovative solutions and that would work hand-in-hand with the development goals of the nation.

There are many road projects coming up in hilly terrains and border regions in India. What kind of solutions do you have specific to such challenging road projects?

Hilly regions have common problem of slope stability and are more vulnerable to natural disasters causing landslides, debris flow, and other rockfall events, becoming critical for infrastructure such as roads, railways, urban infrastructure etc. Maccaferri provides innovative solutions with technical expertise to deliver versatile, cost-effective, and environmentally sound solutions, critical in preventing/mitigating such accidents in the future. The terrain in the specific region has fragile geology which is considerably different from other parts of the country. Maccaferri solutions are flexible suiting fragile geology and customised as per local conditions.

Our focus is to perform construction activities with the least disturbance on hillsides and create infrastructure requirements on the valley side. This shall avoid creating manmade landslides, rockfall, debris flow etc. For infrastructure projects on hilly terrains, it is important to consider slope protection and possible natural hazard protection during project conceptualisation. The budget allocation for such projects should not be based on the same parameters as that of the projects in the plain terrains of the country. A dedicated amount in the budget towards natural hazard mitigation must be considered at the planning stage itself. As an example, the four-lane highway in Shimla and on the Char Dham route are both facing the consequences of not considering mitigation in the initial project planning, i.e., road block due to frequent rockfall.

Which are the key roads and highway projects you are working on currently? What are your future plans?

For road construction, Maccaferri is collaborating with NHAI to plan, supply, and oversee the installation of RS walls on stretches of NH 5 and NH 709. We took on the problem of building an embankment on fine-grained soil for the Gangapath project in Patna, which has low sheer strength, high settlement, and liquefaction susceptibility. High reinforced soil slopes are getting built using Maccaferri technology for USBRL railway project. We have also worked on a few other projects with BRO. Many new infrastructure projects are in the pipeline as the Indian Government works to further strengthen the nation's infrastructure and simultaneously reach its Net Zero targets. Together with other stakeholders, we see a chance to make a difference by offering cutting-edge solutions that pave the way for a sustainable low-carbon future.

What is your outlook on the Indian roads & highways sector? What could be the major trends to look for in future? 

India has immense progress in the expansion of its infrastructure in general, but to emphasize on the growth on the roads and highway sector, it is really important to appreciate how far we have come on that front. What we see today is a prime example of good execution considering the maintenance managed on the roads is impeccable. Although, I do agree there is always room for us to do more and it is vital that we rally our forces to focus on the regions more prone to landslides, rockfalls and floods, keeping in mind the havoc it has already wrecked in various areas.

The Indian infrastructure sector has always shown remarkable growth even during a crucial time like the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, during the unlock process of the lockdown, infrastructure and construction was the first economic activity to resume in the country. The expansion of the industry has been given a boost that was much needed thanks to clean energy and green efforts for the construction of infrastructure. Furthermore, the integration of the latest technology is continuously contributing to futuristic infrastructure developments in the country. At a time when the nation is focusing on last mile connectivity, I hope to see the stakeholders giving much more preference to sustainable construction techniques and materials.

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