It survived the first two years, but last year?s rains led to major cracks on the surface. Now, the question is why consultants associated with its construction couldn?t foresee this problem.

The net result of this blunder is that today, water has seeped into the cracks, rendering at least 10 km of the surface unusable and, in fact, dangerous for motorists.

Therefore, in order to gear up for the coming monsoons, Ideal Road Builders, the agency that has been entrusted with the job of the expressway maintenance (Rs 333-cr contract which includes renovation and maintenance of the old Pune-Mumbai highway too), is now busy plugging these surface cracks. What they are using is Mastic (high grade bitumen) on the road surface to make it more durable and, most importantly, water proof.

??We are cutting the original concrete slabs with German machines and replacing them with Mastic which will not only be waterproof and durable, but also ensure a smoother riding surface,?? says Jayant Mhaiskar, director, Ideal Builders. Ask him about the quality of the original concrete road, and he bottles up. ??Our task is to relay the roads for better strength, so we are going in for Mastic.??

As for its effectiveness, we will wait for the monsoons.