A first in Eastern Visayas DPWH uses Instapave tech in road rehab

VILLABA, LEYTE, Philippines — The 3rd Leyte Engineering District (LED) of the Department of Public Works and Highways here is the first in Eastern Visayas to adopt the "Instapave technology" in road maintenance, particularly in the treatment of minor cracks.

District Engineer Leopoldo Pica told media that they used the technology to rehabilitate a 1.4-kilometer stretch of the national highway at Brgy. Jordan in this town, and this was finished in only two weeks, even if the contractor was given 140 days to do it.

Instapave is an all-weather paving system ideal for rural roads, said Pica, explaining that the technology uses cold asphalt mix instead of the traditional hot mix. With the "cold mix asphalt," the road can already be used just a few hours after the application because it dries quickly, he said.

The technology has been widely used in Mindanao, particularly in Davao, for paving mostly gravel roads, according to Jun Horfilla, president and general manager of HL Trading and Shell, the authorized applicator of Shell Instapave.

The P10-million fund for the road-rehab project was sourced from revenues of the motor vehicle user's charge or MVUC, Pica added.  (FREEMAN)