Minsk hosts international conference on construction and operation of concrete roads

Today, on September 24, the VI International Scientific and Practical Conference “Construction of high-quality and safe roads with the use of cement concrete and mineral binders” began in Minsk. The event brought together more than 100 participants from Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, China and other countries: representatives of science, government agencies, design and road construction organizations, manufacturers of materials and equipment.

The event is organized by the Belarusian Research Institute BeldorNII together with the Moscow Automobile and Road State Technical University and the Belarusian Cement Company with the assistance of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Welcoming the participants of the forum, Deputy Head of the Main Department of Roads of the Ministry of Transport and Communications Sergey Leonchik noted that in our country the Head of State pays great attention to the development of roads - this is one of the priorities of the socio-economic development program until 2030.

- All the tasks set for road users are reflected in the State Program “Roads of Belarus”. In this five-year plan, it is planned to increase almost one and a half times the volume of work on the roads of the republican and local destination. About 25,000 kilometers will be repaired or reconstructed. This year, it is planned to introduce 27 kilometers of roads from cement concrete. We are beginning to carry out the same work on five more sections of roads of republican significance. Given these volumes, the quality and reliability of such coatings come to the fore. We pay great attention to the development of the material and technical base, the introduction of new technologies, the development of laboratories, the purchase of modern equipment. This is a large and painstaking work that requires attention at each site, said Sergey Leonchik.

Our colleagues from the Russian Federation are gradually turning towards cement and seeing all the advantages of this material.

Head of the Main Industry Department of the Ministry of Architecture and Construction Yevgeny Tatarinov stressed that high-quality roads are the basis of modern logistics.

- It also ensures the maximum development of our country, the delivery of goods, goods and people. The most high-quality roads today are roads made of concrete. They are durable, durable, easy to use. There are many guests from other countries, including Russia. Our colleagues are interested in working with the Belarusian Cement Company, which indicates the high quality of cement for the construction of future roads. The event is attended by specialists of different directions - both practitioners and researchers. Together we will come to the desired result, Evgeny Tatarinov expressed confidence.

Vitaly Pilatov, director of the state enterprise BeldorNII, said that today the issue of not just building roads is acute, but creating a reliable, durable and technologically sovereign infrastructure.

- Our forum is a platform where science meets practice, and the experience of our countries is united to find the best solutions. Why do we talk about cement concrete as a strategic choice? This is not just a tribute to fashion, but a pragmatic calculation based on real exploitation. The first advantage is that the service life of cement concrete coatings can be one and a half to two times longer than that of asphalt concrete, and with proper care and compliance with the technology up to 30 years or more without major repairs. We build a road once and forget for decades. No annual repairs, alterations, which we all know well from the experience of operating asphalt concrete, said Vitaly Pilatov. The second important advantage for our region is the absence of seasonal restrictions. This is a huge plus for our climate zone. Hard coatings do not blur in the heat, they do not form ruts, plastic deformations do not appear, they do not require the introduction of load limits on the axle. For our economy, where the cost of transportation directly affects the final price of goods, this is a huge reserve. The road works all year round without restrictions, logistics does not stop, business does not suffer losses.

- We have our own powerful raw material base for cement production, we have deposits, factories, and qualified personnel. We are independent of imported bitumen, the price of which is formed in foreign markets and is subject to significant fluctuations. This means that we can confidently plan budgets, construction volumes and not depend on the foreign economic situation, said the director of BeldorNII.

According to him, technological independence in road construction is not an abstraction, but a concrete tool for the economic security of the country.

- And, of course, durability and safety. As I said, hard coating has a high resistance to the formation of tracks, which directly affects road safety. The Head of State repeatedly drew attention to the fact that the development of a network of cement-concrete roads is clearly our priority. The President directs us to the maximum implementation of this direction. As part of the state program until 2030, the country plans to build 175 kilometers of cement-concrete roads, which is three times more than in the previous five-year plan. The task is large-scale, requires maximum concentration of efforts and competencies, concluded Vitaly Pilatov.

- The second day will be equally important. A living object is the best textbook and the best argument. We will be able to see how technology works in real-world conditions, discuss details directly on the spot, ask questions to those who built and operate this road. Science and practice must go hand in hand. Our conference is precisely the case when scientific developments meet with real tasks that life and the state pose to us. Today, various enterprises, builders, designers, research institutes have gathered. The goal is to make our roads even better, Vitaly Pilatov summed up.

Alexander Dovgalo, General Director of the Belarusian Cement Company holding company, stressed that the construction of cement-concrete roads is actively developing thanks to the position of the Head of State.

- We see modern, durable, reliable roads that are much cheaper to maintain than asphalt concrete. Today we invited our colleagues to show their capabilities, how we can design, build and maintain roads. For the cement industry, today’s event is very important. Russian colleagues are interested in adopting our experience, said Alexander Dovgalo. We will continue to actively develop road repair by cold regeneration. This is a modern technology for repairing and strengthening road surfaces, in which old asphalt is crushed right on the road and used as the basis for a new layer. In Russia, this method of repair is already actively developed. In Belarus, this solution is perfect for the construction of roads in agro-towns – quickly, efficiently, inexpensively.

Together with the Belarusian Cement Company, whose experience is interesting and important for us, we solve many strategic tasks, including standardization and technical regulation. Now a new edition of GOST-30515, changes to GOST-3108 are being developed at our site. We received the largest number of comments and recommendations from the Belarusian Cement Company and made every effort for the developers to make them. Also on the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union, we will adopt a new technical regulation on the safety of building materials.

Another area of cooperation is the protection of the EAEU market from cement supplies from outside, Daria Martynkina emphasized.

- We are all fighting for the quality of construction materials, ensuring healthy competition in the market, and for this, inspection control at the border of each batch of cement supplied from outside the EAEU, as well as automatic licensing of products coming from outside the Eurasian Union, is important. Together with the Belarusian Cement Company, we set ourselves the task of creating a modern dry cement production line with a capacity of 1 million tons of cement per year, consisting entirely of Russian and Belarusian equipment.

- The very fact that the sixth conference is being held today suggests that this is a lively, relevant topic that brings people together. Now the road drivers face a number of challenging problems and tasks that need to be solved in the near future. This includes the regulatory state of roads, which will promote both cargo transportation and domestic tourism between our countries.

According to him, the strengthening and stabilization of soils, technologies for building foundations, coatings from concrete, cold regeneration are the innovations that will solve the tasks set.