The Effects Of Road Architecture

The new trend in civil engineering is nothing other than road architecture, where traditional roads are modified with a pinch of garbage. The serving purpose of the new technology of roads is to recycle wastes that are just cluttering the earth. Traditional concrete and asphalt roads are made from crushed minerals then mended together with a base material. The problem here with traditional roads is the waste of heat and the poor quality; the tar coating tends to let water seep through and over time the road just decomposes itself, forming pits and cracks. India and the Netherlands are the known countries for cultivating plastic wastes and turning it into a reinforcement material in bitumen. Plastic is not identified as a biodegradable material …show more content…
Breathing in the particles can develop health problems similar to when volcanic ash enters the lungs, polluting the respiratory system. The other issue would be heat-related because burnt plastic release dioxins – highly dangerous to human organisms. From a health article called Dangerous Health Effects of Home Burning of Plastics and Waste, by the WECF (Women in Europe for a Common Future), they state that “…burning of waste is far more harmful to our health... It can increase the risk of heart disease, aggravate respiratory ailments such as asthma and emphysema, and cause rashes, nausea, or headaches, damages in the nervous system, kidney or liver, in the reproductive and development system” (WECF). The ironic thing about plastic roads is that the researchers and engineers are trying to stop companies from burning plastic wastes but their own technology is not as different to what they are trying to prevent. Plastic roads are the pavement for transportation, and being a part of daily life, it raises the likelihood of health issues due to daily exposure. Adding in the minor issues from before - results of noise and frictionless – these will also play a part in harming the human society. The noise can affect people’s hearing and radio frequencies. The other thing is not having friction, which would provide a poor grip for car tires during rainy or snowy …show more content…
Ideally plastic roads are modified only for a certain environment such as India and the Netherlands – with either poor soil quality or has a situation where plastic is piling up. This eastern technology is still being modified but it is officially an alternative recycling method for those countries. However in America or the west regions, traditional asphalt roads are more compatible because it is a stable structure – bonded minerals with a tar coating; this technology too, is evolving towards a green situation. The ideas - a man in India made use of the non -biodegradable material, design of a new manufacturing and recycling system, potential hazards of plastic roads, and the comparison of west technologies - are all key points to this trend, whereas engineers are paving a road towards the future; modifying technology to reduce pollution and creating a new tomorrow for