One-Day Concrete Technology To Ease Road Traffic Woes

The traffic situation in Metro Manila has gone haywire. It has come to a point where the country suffers a loss of ₱3.5 billion a day. Alarmingly, it’s expected to go even higher by 2035. According to Waze’s Global Driver Satisfaction Index, Metro Manila has the worst traffic in the world. The city’s major thoroughfare, EDSA, has a daily car volume of 402,000 – exceeding its maximum capacity of 288,000 cars. With this to consider, road construction and maintenance doesn’t seem so easy like what some Filipinos think.

A CHALLENGE

When asked about the challenges the Department of Public Works and Highways – National Capital Region (DPWH-NCR) faces, Maintenance Division Chief Engineer Rey Rosario answered, “The inconvenience the Filipino people are experiencing.” Truly, it is a factor that must always be taken into consideration. He further shares, “When there’s no road construction or maintenance ongoing, there’s already congestion in traffic. What more if there’s one?”

A SOLUTION

The DPWH’s mission is to make sure all Filipinos have access to quality infrastructure facilities and services. Even with the criticisms they face, the department continues to find ways in improving their services to the country. Among these is the approval of Holcim Philippines’ road solutions technology SuperFast-Crete (SF-Crete) for road projects under DPWH’s Department Order 235.

SUPERFAST-CRETE FOR ROAD PROJECTS

SF-Crete was first successfully used during the Holy Week break in March 2016. It is designed by Holcim Philippines to rapidly gain strength and harden to help address the dilemma of road repair and traffic. Engr. Rosario elaborates, “Road repairs that took three to seven days to finish now only takes a day.” He emphasizes that though there is a price difference from 3-day concrete, the convenience SF-Crete brings is incomparable.

Despite its shorter finish period, SF-Crete still has great quality and finish. This is ideal for quick road repairs in the metro, making it an effective way to ease the burden of Filipino commuters and to help the government’s Build Build Build initiatives.

The DPWH continues to stay positive that their services to the country will continue to improve with the help of Holcim Philippines and its SF-Crete. But Holcim Philippines has no plans of stopping there. The company shares their willingness to continue exploring and delivering more innovative products that can help sustain the country’s construction boom.