As the saying goes: To get rich, build roads first. Villagers generally build hardened cement roads instead of higher-quality asphalt roads. Many people question whether it is to save costs, but in fact it is far more than that. After reading it, you will know the country's considerations.

Every village project

I believe that many people who have lived in the countryside have a deep impression on the rural dirt road of "sunny days, gray rain and mud". In 1998, in order to break the traffic bottleneck of rural economic development and solve the problem of difficult travel for 900 million peasants, the state proposed the "Every Village" project . This project includes roads, electricity, drinking water, Internet, etc., and roads are a vital part of it.

Since the official implementation of this project in 2006, data from the Ministry of Transport shows that by the end of 2021, the total mileage of rural roads has reached 4.466 million kilometers. Compared with the 3.564 million kilometers at the end of 2011, there has been a net increase of more than 900,000 kilometers in the past ten years. At the same time, a rural transportation network from passenger cars to villages has also been formed. The muddy dirt road in the rainy days gradually faded out of people's sight.

But at the same time, it is not difficult to find that most of the roads built in rural areas are cement roads, not asphalt roads. Is it really like everyone said, just to save money?

Why build a cement road

Let's first look at the difference between cement road and asphalt road. Cement road is a rigid road made of concrete, while asphalt road is a black elastic road with a layer of asphalt added on the basis of concrete road. This kind of road surface, the surface layer is relatively soft, so the car will feel very comfortable walking on it. The concrete is so hard that the car will feel hard when walking on it. If there are some minor defects on the road, it will bring a strong sense of vibration.

Even so, the rural areas still need to lay cement roads, and the cost issue does occupy a certain reason. The average price of a ton of asphalt is about 4,500 yuan, while the average price of a ton of cement is about 500 yuan, which is only a fraction of the asphalt. But more important than the cost is that the terrain in the countryside is not suitable for the construction of asphalt roads .

First, the asphalt used to build the asphalt road needs to be heated, and the heating temperature must be strictly controlled. It is required that the material temperature of the siloed asphalt concrete to the working surface must reach above 180°C, and once it is lower than 180°C, it will be treated as waste. But the problem is that asphalt concrete mixing plants are often dozens of kilometers away from rural construction roads, and it is difficult to ensure material temperature requirements on the way to transport clinker.

Moreover, the asphalt concrete road needs a complete set of equipment from paving to flattening. However, the road conditions of rural roads are complex, with a lot of farmland on both sides, and the width of the road varies. The width of most road sections is generally not more than 3.5 meters, which cannot meet the construction of large-scale asphalt paving equipment.

But the cement road is different. Its materials are nothing more than cement, sand, water, stones, etc. There are basically sales points in every township. Technically, there is no difficulty for the villagers, but all workers who have built houses in their hometowns have the skills to mix cement.

The construction process is also extremely simple, just lay the mold frame, put in the rebar, and pour concrete into it. Therefore, even if the cement road is damaged and needs to be repaired later, the villagers can complete it by themselves. There is no need to use professional equipment and professionals to operate like asphalt roads.

Moreover, the entire cement road project progress is also short, and it can be put into use soon, which very meets our current construction process needs. Therefore, the right one is the best, whether it is an asphalt road or a cement road, it must be adapted to local conditions.

Will rural roads be widened in the future?

In addition to the pavement material, the width of rural roads is also a concern of the public. The road is generally only 3.5 meters wide, and meeting cars is really a big problem. Is it possible to widen rural roads in the future? This is really possible.