Grading in tough conditions

2394 Volvo graders have made an important contribution on upgrades to a 150km stretch of the NH7 highway, one of India's most important road links. The NH7 highway is an impressive 2,369km in length, linking the town of Kanyakumari, perched on the southern-most point of the Indian mainland where the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean meet, with the north-eastern holy city of Varanasi on the banks of the river Ganges.

India's national highways make up just 2% of India's massive 3,300,000km road network but carry 40% of all traffic. Most boast two lanes in each direction, rising to four lanes around major cities. As India's economy has boomed, so has vehicle ownership and so has road building. The need to upgrade the NH7 for a 150km section between Madurai and Trichi in the southern state of Tamil Nadu had become pressing.

JMC Projects used two Volvo G720A motor graders on the job, each operating for 12 hours a day. The graders performed well on the three year project, which was completed recently and JMC says that it will buy more Volvo machines in the future as the units proved their ability to cope with India's tough climate, with temperatures as high as 40°C as well as high humidity and monsoon rains.