This episode is part of a series called, Engineering The Everyday.
In collaboration with Godrej Design Lab
Summary
Why do potholes keep returning, and what would it take to build roads that last? Prathap Rao breaks down how roads are actually built, where they fail, and why maintenance is only part of the problem. We also discuss GridMats, recycled plastic, infrastructure innovation, slow adoption, and what India needs to rethink as it builds the next generation of roads.
About the guest
Prathap Rao is an entrepreneur, infrastructure innovator and founder of PotholeRaja. His work focuses on road safety, recycled materials, GridMats and sustainable infrastructure.
Who should listen
• Architects, urban designers and planners who want to understand what really makes roads fail and how infrastructure could be designed better.
• Engineers and material researchers interested in recycled plastic, GridMats and new approaches to road construction.
• Founders and entrepreneurs building physical products who want to understand why infrastructure innovation takes time and what it takes to get new ideas adopted.
• Anyone curious about potholes, road quality and why fixing visible problems is often easier than changing the system behind them.
Topics discussed in the episode
How did your journey from flying and corporate leadership to potholes, material science and GridMats happen?
When did you realise that potholes are not just a maintenance problem, but also a material and engineering problem?
What actually goes beneath a road, how are the different layers built, and why do potholes and sinkholes form?
Why do Indian roads fail so quickly despite having standards, regulations and large infrastructure budgets?
Why is innovation in infrastructure so slow, and where do contractors, approvals, risk and bureaucracy create the biggest barriers?
What are GridMats, how do they work, and how can recycled polypropylene change the way roads and hard surfaces are built?
Can GridMats move beyond private projects and become part of mainstream public infrastructure and government tenders?
How can recycled materials, GridMats and better road design help reduce carbon impact and improve sustainability in infrastructure?
What new materials and technologies do you think will shape infrastructure over the next five to ten years?
What should young entrepreneurs know before building in infrastructure, material science and physical products, especially when it comes to business models, adoption and scale?
Reference links
Design of Bangalore with Naresh Narasimhan on The Gyaan Project
Road engineering measures by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
Smart Cities Mission and sustainable development goals by UN Habitat
Prathap makes a strong point that the problem is not just potholes, but how roads are designed, built and maintained. What do you think fails most often in India: engineering, execution or the system itself?
