The little things in road construction that makes a big difference

Roads are lifelines of a country. They connect people to everything they need—schools, offices, hospitals, markets, parks, railway stations, airports, and more. If a region doesn’t have a good road network—both in terms of quantity and quality—its development will be stunted. Across India, many small towns grown around major road junctions or near bus stands. I won’t go into the importance of roads here, as that’s something we all understand. 

Instead, I want to highlight how small, often ignored details in road construction can create big problems.

Let’s start with filling the potholes. Potholes are a big problem which we all understand well and suffer the consequences. Problem is the difficulties don't disappear even when contractors do the patchwork. Modern technology allows pot holes to be filled precisely and provide a smooth ride on top of it. But no, here people always leave leaves a bump at repaired spot; and every vehicle that drives over it ends up jumping slightly. Pot holes are numerous in road; came as a result of faulty fill up of channels dug for water and OFC networks, monsoon rains and inadequate sewage system and storm water drains etc. First these holes and then bump created by filling it up puts unnecessary stress on the spine, especially for daily commuters. Another issues is the cap of manholes placed in interior roads, this often ends up several inches higher compared to road surface. 

Flyovers are another area where issues crop up. In many cities, flyovers are being built at major junctions. A common problem is the gap between two spans—there’s usually a metal bar placed at the end of each span. While this design is necessary for structural reasons, the dip/angles at these joints causes vehicles to bounce when crossing. At higher speeds, these jumps can feel quite uncomfortable and even dangerous.

Then there speed bumps, especially the yellow-and-black colored ones found in apartment, office complexes, parking lots etc. These are often too sharp. Unless you slow down to a crawl, passengers—especially those sitting in the back—feel a sudden jolt when the vehicles goes over them.

These are just three of numerous other problems. All these show how small design decisions during construction can have a big impact on everyday travel. These may seem like minor issues, but they affect comfort, safety, and even health over time. It’s time we start paying attention to the little things. Because when it comes to road construction, the small details also matters. Road safety and comfort aren't just about highways and traffic rules; it's also about these tiny details that decides how smooth your ride will be.

Sajeev