I think the tarmac may be a little Suspect here but I daresay they could use good old Concrete instead but if they could had the technology here light Baranagy road laying could be Quicker and maybe Cheaper? Just a Thought JP
Interesting idea. My knowledge base on road building is pretty rudimentary. But I would think that the gravel being laid first would create a great sub-road base for the concrete road base to be added later as the top surface material. Of course, they would have to prep the road prior to pouring - make sure the road has proper grade, slope, drainage, etc. And get a concrete paving machine and everything else that must go into building a proper and safe, long-lasting surface road. But I would think a good gravel sub base with proper grade, drainage and compaction would be a solid start in the right direction. What I'm wondering about in the pics is the big grid mesh they're laying down and pouring material into. What is the purpose of this? How does this function into the road? nwlivewire
It looks like they are laying asphalt and that would be support similar to rebar used in concrete. Asphalt is not a good idea for the Philippines (even though I much prefer riding a motorcycle on it than concrete). Asphalt is initially cheaper to lay down but ends up costing more and requires more maintenance in the long run (if I remember correctly)....and the Philippines hasn't the slightest idea what the word "maintenance" means.
Thanks Wrye83. Never laid major asphalt roads, but drove a dump truck for a time many, many years ago and helped build a few miles of a brand new concrete Interstate road in Utah, and re-habbed an existing concrete Interstate road in S. California. In one spot we were laying down concrete for a brand new stretch of Interstate in Utah, and the initial layer of the concrete was being "layed" 12 inches thick. The "rehabilitation" of an existing stretch of concrete Interstate road in S. California was also a major project. I noticed the original, first layer of concrete that has been poured on this 5 mile stretch of California Interstate road was almost 30 years old when we came to do it's re-hab. The sub-base road underneath the original concrete road had eroded in places underneath the 12-inch thick surface concrete road. So the company I worked for was tasked with putting in new and better drainage systems along the sides of the road, and then drill 1,000s of holes through the concrete surface road to get access to the sub-base layer that had eroded underneath it. We then had to take a liquid grout/concrete mixture and send it through a fireman-type heavy hose with a nozzle that fit into the diameter of the 1,000s of concrete holes that had been drilled. That mixture (according to the engineers) was to seep into the sub-base and fill-in the areas underneath the road that had eroded. That job was a pain in the butt. And dangerous, too, as we could not shut the Interstate traffic down and had to work with one lane open to traffic at all times. But it does seem to me, while expensive to build, a concrete road can last a long time if properly built. But they will require a re-hab and that's expensive, too. But here in the States, they seem to last quite some time with less expensive, less time required periodic maintenance repairs. An engineer I spoke with back then told me when the concrete road finally wears out, then a layer of asphalt could then be used as an overlay for a less expensive fix, making for a pretty solid, multi-layered road that can take a beating and last for decades. Providing of course, if properly built and periodically maintained.... nwlivewire
