Mumbai: Making ‘Wealth out of Steel Waste’ through innovation in highways. With an aim of constructing robust and eco-friendly national highways across the country, the Steel Slag Road Technology has been introduced for the first time in Mumbai-Goa national highway. This technology is an innovative initiative spearheaded by the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI). It transforms waste from the steel industry into a valuable resource, aiding the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in constructing robust and eco-friendly national highways across the country.
Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member (S&T), NITI AAYOG, recently inaugurated India’s inaugural National Highway Steel Slag Road section on NH-66 Mumbai-Goa National Highway.
Guided by CSIR-CRRI, JSW Steel built a 1 km four-lane steel slag road on the NH-66 Mumbai-Goa. Using 80,000 tons of CONARC Steel slag processed into superior aggregates at JSW Steel Dolvi, the road incorporates these advanced materials in all layers, replacing conventional ones.
The road features both bituminous and cement concrete steel slag sections on the right-hand side (RHS) and left-hand side (LHS) carriageways. Shri G S Rathore, Chief Operating Officer, JSW Steel Ltd, commended the collaborative efforts of CSIR-CRRI, acknowledging the support received from NHAI in ensuring the project’s success.
Dr. Manoranjan Parida, Director of CSIR-CRRI, shared that the institute, funded by the Ministry of Steel, is developing national guidelines for using processed steel slag in road construction. Collaborating with steel industries, CSIR-CRRI has already successfully applied steel slag in road projects in Gujarat, Jharkhand, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Satish Pandey, Project Leader of the Steel Slag Road project at CSIR-CRRI, noted that the NH-66 bituminous steel slag road is 28% thinner than traditional bituminous roads, leading to significant cost savings. Both the bituminous and cement concrete sections are about 32% more cost-effective than conventional alternatives, showcasing improved durability.
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