TCMB support first Concrete Roads Congress

The first Concrete Roads Congress and Exhibition was recently held in Ankara, Turkey, at the KGM Halil Rıfat Paşa Conference Hall.

The conference was led by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, and with technical support from the General Directorate of Highways (KGM), the Turkish Cement Manufacturers' Association (TÇMB) and the European Concrete Paving Association (EUPAVE), under the theme of ‘Superstructure Solutions for the Benefit of Society’.

Dr Tamer Saka, chairman of the TÇMB Baord, noted that the adoption of concrete roads in addition to asphalt roads would contribute to the country's economy by reducing the current account deficit. Mr Saka said, “Concrete roads are a long-lasting, solid and domestic alternative that require very little maintenance or repair throughout their useful life. As you know, bitumen, the binder used in asphalt roads, is a byproduct of imported crude oil, for which we rely heavily on foreign resources. In contrast, cement and concrete are completely domestic products.

“Roller Compacted Concrete Roads, which have started to be constructed in rural areas, are 40 per cent more economical in terms of the initial construction cost, and last three to four times longer,” he added.

Furthermore, Nihat Özdemir, board member of the TÇMB, said, “If 50 per cent of the highways and state roads, 10 per cent of provincial roads and 20 per cent of the local administration road networks were to be constructed from concrete, we could save US$700m in initial construction costs.”

The first Concrete Roads Congress and Exhibition was held with the participation of more than 1000 people, including managers and technical officials from domestic and foreign public institutions, municipalities and special provincial administrations, as well as academicians and representatives of the private sector.

The first Concrete Roads Congress and Exhibition