Source: www.rta.ae
Maitha: The new technology is eco-friendly, cost-effective and saves time & effort
The Traffic & Roads Agency, Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has recently carried out a successful experiment of using advanced technologies to remove traffic markings and traces of paints spilled on Dubai roads using a Water Jet machine instead of the conventional Sand Blasting method.
“The new technology, which is used for the first time ever on roads in the region, was previously used only for removing rubber deposits made by aircraft tires as a result of friction with runways” said engineer Maitha bin Adai, CEO of Traffic & Roads Agency.
“The use of the new technology by the RTA came as a result of elaborate studies and extensive site surveys made by a team of Road Maintenance Dep’t of the Agency in which it concluded to recommend the use of water jet blasting technology, and the Agency opted to procure a German-made machine through a local company,” she revealed.
“Using this technology makes considerable financial savings for the RTA as the cost of cleaning one square meters of road markings and paints using traditional methods is about 70 dirham, whereas the removal cost of the square meter using the new device is as low as 6 dirham; which entails a saving of 2.56 million dirham that would have otherwise be dispersed for removal of road markings and paints in 2010 in an area of about 40,000 square meters; which proves that the cost variation is immense, leaving no room for comparison,” added Maitha.
The CEO of RTA Traffic & Roads Agency went further to say: “The new procedures is also characterized by high speed and productivity as it enables cleaning of 600 square meters per hour, whereas the area cleaned using the traditional method is not more than 40 square meters per hour. Moreover, the new technology is economical over the long run and is not labour-intensive contrary to the old method.
“This modern method also has less impact on roads compared to the traditional method which leaves stains on roads as a result of the pressure applied; the extent of which is impacted by the treatment time and the experience of the worker attending to the manual removal of the traffic markings. The new technology is based on using a truck-mounted electronically controlled & automatically operated water jet machine.
“The operation of the new technology is dust-free, free from any detrimental effects on the environment, noiseless and sucks the water used in the removal process, whereas the traditional method raises dust impacting traffic safety and public health. Eventually, the new technology does not require traffic diversions during the process of cleaning unlike the traditional process; which impacts the traffic flow and the safety of road users” said Maitha in a final remark.
