The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is embarking on a giant step to make the highway construction process totally modernized in India. The Ministry, in a circular released on December 16, 2024, communicated the plan to embrace the Automated & Intelligent Machine Aided Construction technology for constructing expressways and access-controlled highways. This would follow on from the successful trials conducted under AIMC technology on Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway project managed by the National Highways Authority of India.
Introduction to AIMC in Highway Construction
India has always used the traditional technique for highway construction, which is a thing of the past; the growth of the nation demands modernization. The approach of Automated & Intelligent Machine Aided Construction (AIMC) brings modern technology and helps in streamlining and even improving the process. All this includes GPS-aided motor graders, intelligent compactors, stringless pavers, thereby enhancing the quality, speed, and accuracy in highway construction.
AIMC will be the technology that transforms the construction of roads, with the utilization of smart machines for precision jobs, making the highways perfect and of high quality.
Key Features of AIMC in Highway Projects
Implementation of AIMC in highway construction will begin as a pilot project on select expressways and access-controlled highways. The technology is going to be used in highway construction in the following manners:
GPS-Aided Motor Graders: These will be used for earthworks, subbase, and base layers, with high accuracy and less chance of error in leveling and grading.
Smart Rollers: Soil, subbase or base will be compacted by either a single-drum or tandem vibratory roller. This is very critical as uniform compaction is of major importance to road durability.
Stringless Pavers: These are pavers where the physical strings guiding the movement of the paver will be eliminated and pave at faster and higher accuracy at road surface construction.
Benefits of AIMC for India’s Road Network
India has one of the world’s largest networks of national highways, spanning 1.46 lakh kilometres. Out of these, 3,000 km of corridors will be high speed and, by 2047, another 45,000 km are to be added to it.
The implementation of AIMC shall bring various important benefits in highway construction projects of the country:
Efficiency Improved: Projects with automatic machines can be completed faster without sacrificing quality.
Quality improvement: Technology is used to ensure a road has the correct standards, from a smooth even surface, to an evenly compacted ground.
Waste reduction: AIMC applies digitized data for the construction; this will assist in material wastage to the utmost as the correct amounts of each resource will be put into work.
Higher productivity: Machines can work with minimal manual intervention, leading to significantly increased output at construction sites.
Better Rideability and Durability: Roads constructed with AIMC are smoother and last for a longer period and contribute to a better drive.
Real-Time Documentation: The technology will document every step taken during the construction process and allows for transparency and accountability.
Minimized Human Error: The risk of mistakes resulting from human labor is highly minimized since complex tasks are automated.
Future of Highway Construction in India
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has planned to adopt AIMC technology. Modernization of the road infrastructure in India is part of a broader approach. In the early times, highways were constructed by manual methods, followed by mechanized construction methods. Now with the development of intelligent construction machines, AIMC is the next step in the development of road building.
As India expands its national highway network and increases the demand for infrastructure, AIMC will be crucial in making it faster, more efficient, and sustainable.
Conclusion
This will be a major leap towards modernizing highway development in India since the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has decided to adopt AIMC. AIMC brings a quality that is higher and more efficient, and it will contribute much to sustainability in road construction in the long run.
As this advance technology is launched, this will elevate the standard for road building and set the new benchmark of the industry. With the expanding national highway network in the country, India, AIMC will be necessary to satisfy the infrastructure development goals of the country.
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Also read : India’s Road Construction Sector: Key Challenges Facing Small and Mid-Sized Companies