Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

While paving city roads is a mundane, day-to-day chore for the New Construction Office (NCO), the agency still remains proactive in trying out new technologies to boost both the effectiveness and efficiency of the construction process.
 
For its latest endeavor, the NCO dispatched a spray paver to handle the overhaul of road pavements along Jihe Road in Shilin District. The innovative vehicle made its debut on the island during this project, and its effectiveness has been recorded in the following footage: https://youtu.be/DjDixcj8VWY
 
According to Chief Hsiao from NCO’s Public Works Section, the conventional way of deploying the hot asphalt mixture onto road surfaces involves the use of distributor trucks to apply tack coat to bind the different pavement layers. However, the process can easily affect the environment, with the sticky solution splashing left and right when disturbed and creating a messy scene for both workers and passerby alike.
 
On the other hand, the new spray paver eliminates the need for the distributor trucks since the chore can now be handled by the built-in spray mechanism on the vehicle. A major benefit of this approach is that the tack coat is immediately covered by the asphalt mix after being applied to the road surface, minimizing the chance of accidental splatters. Of course, this machine also saves construction time and cost.
 
North District Administration Director Wang of NCO’s Public Works Section pointed out that road closures must be done before pavement works can begin. However, such closures have significant impact on the city’s busy traffic. This is why road constructions are usually conducted during night hours between 10 PM and 6 AM. However, since Jihe Road is located near the Shilin Night Market, the agency decided to conduct work during daytime on weekends instead to avoid both night market crowds and students attending neighborhood schools.