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AS part of new strategies to build long-lasting roads, government has resolved to undertake the construction of roads in the country with concrete.


Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, made the disclosure while speaking at the dedication of a temple for Harvest Chapel International Ministries in Accra.

Even though it costs more to build concrete roads, Dr Bawumia believes that considering the lifespan of concrete roads to asphalted or bitumen roads, it makes better economic sense to construct concrete roads.

“Why is it that we are not building our roads with concrete and rather doing all this asphalt, bitumen stuff which gets washed away after about two rainy seasons?”

Dr Bawumia cited the Tema Motorway, which was built with concrete and it has been going strong for the 50 years, saying “that got some of thinking and we started a discussion on the matter”.

The Vice-President disclosed that since 2014, India made it a policy to build only concrete roads because it works out much cheaper.

“So I said let me bring this to my bosses and we have been discussing this as recently as last week in Parliament. Cabinet did decide last week that we should move towards concrete roads as a country. And they are going to do the Tema Steel Works road as the pilot road for the concrete roads in this country. There is a lot of wisdom in this shift,” he added.

Advantages of concrete roads
Concrete roads are durable and safe. They are considerably less prone to wear and tear defects like rutting, cracking, stripping, loss of texture, and potholes that can occur with flexible pavement surfaces.

Low maintenance requirement
This low maintenance requirement is one of the principal advantages of concrete pavements.

Over 40-year life span
There are well-designed concrete roads that have required little or no maintenance well beyond their 40-year design lives.

Fewer traffic delays
Less maintenance also means fewer traffic delays, a huge advantage on some of our already congested highways.

Fuel consumption is a major factor in the economics of roading, with the rolling resistance of the pavement being an important contributor to the fuel consumption and the corresponding CO2 production.
Rolling resistance can be attributed in part to a lack of pavement rigidity.

In the case of a heavily loaded truck, energy is consumed in deflecting a non-rigid pavement and sub-grade.

Less fuel consumption
Using rigid concrete pavement will result in less fuel consumption, and a decrease in associated emissions.

Reduced need for street lighting
Another benefit of using concrete as opposed to alternative flexible pavements is a reduced need for street lighting, due to higher surface reflectivity after dark.

Electricity savings of about 30%
Better light reflection on the brighter surface could potentially result in electricity savings of about 30% for lamps, lampposts and signs.

Reduction in accidents
However, the largest savings from higher surface reflectivity are to be gained from a reduction in accidents, and the associated loss of life and serious injury.