The record
Written from the 1 report below. Nothing here is unsourced.
- The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has begun testing a road segment on the Chennai–Tirupathi National Highway using 60% reclaimed bitumen, a technology developed by the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI).
- The pilot is significant because it marks one of the first large-scale field validations in India of a high-percentage recycled asphalt mix, which could reduce dependence on virgin bitumen, lower material costs, and cut carbon emissions from road construction.
- The coverage, limited to The Hindu and its Tamil Nadu edition, is uniformly supportive and factual, with no dissenting voices or technical critiques surfaced yet.
- What remains unknown is the performance data — durability, rutting, skid resistance — and whether NHAI will scale the mix nationally after the trial.
- Watch for the CRRI/NHAI evaluation report, any tender language changes mandating recycled content, and reactions from contractor lobbies concerned about retooling costs.
What to watch next
- Await CRRI-NHAI field performance report on durability and rutting
- Watch for revised NHAI tender specs mandating recycled bitumen
- Monitor contractor lobby response to retooling requirements
Who said what2
Only words found exactly in the article are shown, attributed and linked to the line they came from.
Ravi Shankar
1 quote · 1 outlet
“The Indian Roads Congress (IRC) Code permits the re-use of 30% bitumen for road re-laying. Now this advancement will allow the use of 60% of the reclaimed material, which is usually sent to the dump yard.”
In the article
…commercial production, that company and Oriental Structural Engineers Private Limited (OSEPL), which is widening the road, have joined hands with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to conduct the trial. “ The Indian Roads Congress (IRC) Code permits the re-use of 30% bitumen for road re-laying. Now this advancement will allow the use of 60% of the reclaimed material, which is usually sent to the dump yard. In the long run, recycling bitumen will help reduce dependency on foreign exchange. We will also submit the results to the IRC, which may incorporate it into the code,” explained Ravi Shankar, CSIR- CRRI, senior…
Venkatachalam
1 quote · 1 outlet
“The 60% utilisation seems to bring up interesting possibilities. We will wait for the IRC Code to put it to use”
In the article
…Institute visited the site at Tiruvallur and ensured the methodology and procedure were used correctly. Highways Research Station Director Venkatachalam said Tamil Nadu had been reusing 30% bitumen wherever possible. “ The 60% utilisation seems to bring up interesting possibilities. We will wait for the IRC Code to put it to use ,” he added. Published - September 06, 2026 12:12 am IST…
Why it matters4
Who is affected first and what likely follows, with a direction and a horizon. Extracted from the reports, never invented.
- NHAI / road construction sector material cost reduction· longer
- CSIR-CRRI / domestic R&D ecosystem technology validation· weeks
- Chennai-Tirupathi highway users service disruption risk· days
- Environment emissions reduction· longer
Coverage1
All filed from IndiaSingle origin
Named India · Tiruvallur · Ambika Behl · Chalumuri Ravi Sekhar · CSIR-Central Road Research Institute · Highways Research Station · Indian Roads Congress · National Highways Authority of India · Ooms Polymer Modified Bitumen Pvt Ltd. · Oriental Structural Engineers Private Limited · Rajiv Kumar · Ravi Shankar · Siksha Swaroopa Kar
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