- By Ajeet Kumar
- Wed, 01 Jul 2026 04:08 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- European roads designed for freezing winters, use flexible materials.
- Softer bitumen in Europe melts at 35-40°C under heavy traffic.
- Indian roads use harder bitumen, larger aggregates for heat resistance.
As parts of Europe swelter under record-breaking temperatures, reports of roads melting and deforming in the UK have sparked widespread attention, and comparisons with India, where summer temperatures routinely cross 45 degrees Celsius without similar widespread road failures. The photos and videos are now going viral on social media, where netizens are now comparing the build quality with Indian roads, which do not melt even when the temperature crosses the 48-degree mark.
Why do European roads melt at 40 degrees Celsius?
The key difference lies not in superior engineering, but in climate-specific road design.
European Roads Built For Freezing Winters
In most of the European countries, the weather is either pleasant or extremely cold. In countries like the UK, road construction has historically prioritised resilience against cold weather.
Roads must endure repeated freeze-thaw cycles, a natural process where temperatures fluctuate above and below freezing, causing trapped water to repeatedly freeze and expand, then melt.
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As a result, many European roads use flexible materials such as hot-rolled asphalt (HRA) and dense asphalt concrete. These mixes contain higher bitumen content and finer aggregates, allowing the road to expand and contract during harsh winters without cracking.
Softer grades of bitumen are deliberately chosen to maintain durability in sub-zero temperatures. However, this flexibility becomes a liability during extreme heat. When temperatures approach or exceed 35-40 degrees Celsius, conditions that were once rare in the UK, the bitumen softens significantly.
Under heavy traffic, the surface can deform, leading to ruts, sinking, and softened patches.
India’s Heat-Resistant Road Design
India, by contrast, faces a very different climate challenge. With prolonged scorching summers, intense sunlight, and heavy monsoon rains, Indian roads are engineered primarily for heat resistance. Engineers commonly use harder grades of bitumen, such as VG-30 and VG-40, which have higher viscosity and maintain structural strength even at high temperatures.
Road mixes also incorporate larger aggregates that provide better stability and resistance to deformation under intense heat and heavy loads.
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Same Material, Different Priorities
European road design places greater emphasis on flexibility to survive freezing winters, while Indian roads are optimised for extreme summer heat. This explains why temperatures that occasionally overwhelm roads in the UK are conditions that Indian infrastructure is built to handle season after season.