Bamburi Cement  has introduced two new road building technologies for Kenyan roads meant to cut the cost of construction.

The firm unveiled the Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) and Hydraulic Road Binders (HRB) technologies during a one-day workshop on road construction in Nairobi on Tuesday. “This workshop demonstrates our concerted effort to innovations and local creation of awareness on contemporary global technologies and approaches for use in the construction of roads locally,” said Bamburi innovation and technical services manager Fidelis Sakwa.

The RCC involves the use of special concrete manufactured with very little water and compacted with heavy rollers as opposed to conventional concrete that typically has more water and is pressed by vibrators. The RCC can be surfaced with a small layer of bitumen or left unsurfaced. It has an advantage of immediate use by vehicles compared to conventional concrete that requires 28 days of curing.

On the other hand, the HRB adopts cost-effective cementitious products for soil treatment and stabilisation in road construction. The government has been challenging cement manufacturers to offer cost-effective alternative models for road construction in the country.