New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) State-owned National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Wednesday said it has started using steel slag in road construction on a trial basis in line with the government's 'Waste to Wealth' mission.

NHAI in a statement said this initiative will help to address the challenge of shortage of material used in the development of National Highways and could replace natural aggregates, such as sand, gravel, or crushed stone, with the waste material from the steel industry.

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According to the statement, the authority permitted Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) to construct one km long trial patch in the Raigarh district for PQC of the Panvel – Indapur section of NH 66 near Mumbai, where 100 per cent natural aggregates were replaced by steel slag derived aggregates.

The results from the trial have been encouraging, it said.

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The statement noted that the use of such material in road construction will make construction more economical and promote the circular economy and resource efficiency.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)