India has entered an era of “steel” roads by moving from concrete to steel slag and flagging off the dispatch of 1600 metric tons of processed steel slag aggregates on railway racks from Tata Steel Jamshedpur to Border Road Organisation Project Arunank, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.

This is a first-of-its-kind initiative taken in the world by CSIR-CRRI, TATA Steel, and the Border Roads Organisation; processed steel slag aggregates will be utilised in the construction of steel slag road stretches in strategic areas.

To meet the demand of Border Roads, India’s second-largest and oldest steel company, TATA Steel has come forward under the collaborative R&D alliance with CSIR’s Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) to supply processed BOF steel slag aggregates developed at TATA Steel’s Jamshedpur plant under CRRI’s technological guidance.

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said that, as per Prime Minister Modi’s vision for “Waste to Wealth” and NITI Aayog instructions, CSIR-CRRI had developed this technology under the sponsored research project of the Ministry of Steel. He said one-third of the country’s 37 labs of the CSIR is working on developing suitable technologies for turning waste into wealth.

According to Dr Jitendra Singh, this event is yet another demonstration of the application of science for “Ease of Living.” It also highlights the integration and whole-of-government approach, as four prominent entities — TATA Steel, CSIR, Border Roads Organisation, and the Ministry of Steel — came together to take the “Waste to Wealth” concept to a new level.

The construction cost of this road is 30 percent less than the conventional road constructed with natural aggregates, while it has three to four times higher strength. India has a vast road network, and under the national highway development program, the Bharatmala Project, massive road construction is happening.