Steel Slag Roads: Guinness Record at Raigarh, 40% Cost Cut

Steel slag roads could cut construction cost by 40%, says Science Minister

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Battle Brief

On 12 September 2026 a 1.85-km road at Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, built with processed steel slag aggregates by CSIR-CRRI and Jindal Steel, got the Guinness World Record for the longest such road. The Science Minister said the technology can cut construction cost by about 40 per cent, give four times the strength, and need major maintenance only after about 15 years.

Fact File

Date: 12 Sep 2026
Road: 1.85 km, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh
Record: World’s Longest Road Built with Processed Steel Slag Aggregates
Developers: CSIR-Central Road Research Institute and Jindal Steel
Claimed benefit: about 40% lower cost, four times strength
Next: 40-km road in Odisha (Angul plant)

In the news

Steel slag road technology: what happened?

Steel slag is a by-product of steel making, often treated as waste. CSIR-CRRI has a method to turn it into road aggregates, saving natural stone from quarries. It is a “waste to wealth” idea.

CSIR-CRRI steel slag road technology can cut costs about 40% and give four times the strength of conventional roads, per the minister [PIB].
A 40-km Odisha road is planned after a Guinness-record steel slag road at Raigarh, Chhattisgarh [PIB].

Back Story

Where has the technology been used?

Hazira, Gujarat: six-lane road to Hazira Port, and a 1.1-km road inside the port.
NH-66 Mumbai-Goa Highway: about 80,000 tonnes of slag used for a one-km four-lane stretch.
Heavy-duty roads in Arunachal Pradesh, including the border region.
Raigarh: the 1.85-km record road.
A Technology Transfer Agreement was signed and a “Steel Grit” brand launched.

Exam Radar

What can Prelims ask on steel slag road technology?

Steel slag road technology: developed by CSIR-CRRI, New Delhi.
Guinness record road: 1.85 km at Raigarh, Chhattisgarh (2026).
Benefit claimed: about 40 per cent lower cost; major maintenance after about 15 years.

How to use this in Mains

GS-III Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation

As per PIB (2026-09-12): CSIR-CRRI steel slag road technology can cut costs about 40% and give four times the strength of conventional roads, per the minister.
It links industrial waste management with cheaper road building, which makes for a good circular-economy example.

Quotable data point
A 40-km Odisha road is planned after a Guinness-record steel slag road at Raigarh, Chhattisgarh.
PIB: Science & Technology: steel slag roads, 12 Sep 2026

Practice MCQs

Original practice questions (not PYQs).

Practice · UPSC

The world's longest road built with processed steel slag aggregates (Guinness record, 2026) is at

Answer (b) & explanation

PIB, 12 Sep 2026.

Quick questions

Questions students ask about this

What is a steel slag road?

A road built with processed steel slag, a by-product of steel making, used as aggregate in place of natural stone.

Where is the Guinness record steel slag road?

At Raigarh, Chhattisgarh; it is 1.85 km long.

Who developed the technology?

CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), New Delhi; the record road was built with Jindal Steel.