A plastic road built at Olakha in Thimphu as a pilot project more than a decade ago is now paving the way for another project. DANTAK and Green Road are going to resurface a stretch of the Phuentshogling-Thimphu highway using shredded plastic waste. The work is expected to begin in the next two weeks and cost around Nu 52 M.
A 150-metre stretch of road near the Olakha workshop area has been carrying traffic for more than a decade after it was built using shredded plastic waste mixed with bitumen.
The road was constructed in 2015 by Green Road, the country’s first and only company to use waste plastics in blacktopping roads.
Eight months into the trial, the Department of Roads declared the project successful. Officials said the road had no potholes, remained smooth, and required no maintenance during the trial period.
The trial was originally expected to last five years. Eight years later, in 2023, a section of the road underwent minor repairs. Despite that, much of the original stretch remains in use today.
The experience from Olakha is now being taken to much larger road projects.
DANTAK and Green Road have signed a memorandum of understanding to use shredded plastic waste to resurface a 6.5 km stretch along the Chuzom-Babesa section of the Phuentshogling-Thimphu highway.
DANTAK’s Chief Engineer Brigadier J S Dhadwal said, “Plastic takes thousands of years to deteriorate, so using it in roads will help with its proper disposal. It also gives the road additional strength, especially on the Phuentshogling-Thimphu road, where there is a lot of rainfall. In these plastic roads, a certain amount of shredded plastic is mixed with bitumen in the right proportion. This makes the road stronger, better and more durable.”
Around 20 metric tonnes of shredded plastic waste will be used for the project. DANTAK expects to complete the work within three months.
The chief engineer said, “The initial cost is slightly higher because the plastic has to be shredded and dried, and this is a technology that needs to be adopted. So, the cost may be a little higher. However, unlike a normal road, which has a defect liability period of three years, this project has a defect liability period of five years. That is an additional two years. If we take into account the maintenance cost during those two years, the overall cost is at par with, or nearly the same as, a normal road.”
DANTAK has been involved in constructing and maintaining road networks in Bhutan since 1961 and has completed more than 1,650 km of blacktopped roads in the country.
Deki Lhazom
Edited by Sangay Chezom
