India’s first-ever steel road opens for traffic, showcases sustainable model

Surat in Gujarat has become the first city in India to get a road that is made entirely with 100 per cent processed steel slag. The one-kilometre long road has six lanes and is the brainchild of the Council Of Scientific And Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), with help from the Ministry of Steel and Policy Commission and the NITI Aayog. The actual construction was undertaken by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India Plant, whose 10 million tonner steel plant is located nearby in Hazira.

According to CSIR, the road is more durable than conventional roads in the country and can withstand damage that monsoon season tends to have. Located in Surat’s Hazira Industrial Area, this particular stretch has been opened to traffic on a trial basis. Made of steel slag which is a waste material from steel industries, this road has a thickness that is 30 per cent less in comparison to conventional roads.

While durability of the steel road is the prime focus, it is reported that at least 20 loaded trucks are passing through this stretch each day, it can also be a gamechanger in up-cycling steel slag which otherwise goes to landfills. The disposal of metallurgical and metal-processing waste in landfills is particularly hazardous for the environment.

Millions of tonnes of steel slag are produced by steel industries and these have had no alternate use thus far. If the latest experiment in Surat proves to be a success, more roads in the country could be given the same treatment.

For Surat, the sustainable start on the roads front is a welcome step, after it was also designated India’s first ‘Water plus’ city. It also has the distinction of having all its primary health centres powered by solar power.