changeadminThe Council of Scientific & Industrial Research – Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), New Delhi, has developed an innovative MSS+ technology, which is being utilised by the Uttar Pradesh Rural Road Development Authority (UPRRDA) for eco-friendly road construction in the state.
Using this green technology, approximately 202 kilometres of roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) are planned for construction in Uttar Pradesh during the current year. PMGSY is a nationwide plan in India to provide good all-weather roads, connecting the gap between rural and urban communities.
Modified Mix Seal Surfacing (MSS⁺) is a thin, dense, graded bituminous surfacing for low to medium-volume traffic bituminous roads. MSS⁺ provides a durable wearing course on a well-prepared granular or bituminous base on bituminous pavement.
Main ingredients of MSS⁺ are crushed natural aggregate, customised modified bitumen emulsion, and mineral admixture. MSS⁺ mix is prepared at ambient atmospheric temperature as per the designed job mix by mixing the ingredients at ambient atmospheric temperature using concrete mixes or a modified hot mix plant (without any heating). MSS⁺ can be laid in 25 mm to 30 mm thickness at ambient temperature using a conventional hot mix asphalt paver.
MSS+ technology eliminates the need to heat aggregate and bitumen, enabling road construction in all weather conditions. Roads built with this technology have demonstrated superior quality parameters compared to conventional hot-mix roads, according to Dr. Manoranjan Parida, Director and President of the Indian Roads Congress at CSIR-CRRI.
As part of the project review, the Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India, and the Director General of CSIR, Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, inspected the road constructed with MSS+ technology along the Mankapur–Nawabganj Road to Baksra via Ambarpur in Gonda district.
After the inspection, Dr. Kalaiselvi commended the road quality and highlighted that MSS+ technology significantly reduces carbon emissions during road construction, making it a key enabler of green infrastructure in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She noted that the adoption of this technology under PMGSY in Uttar Pradesh will pave the way for similar initiatives across the country.
Chief Engineer Mr. Brijesh Kumar Dubey informed that with incentive funds allocated by the Government of India, 38 PMGSY roads—covering a total length of 202 kilometres—are being constructed with 30 mm thick MSS+ technology. He further stated that plans are underway to expand the adoption of the technology in future projects across the state.
Senior Principal Scientist Mr. Satish Pandey explained that CSIR-CRRI developed MSS+ technology in collaboration with J.M.V.D. Industries in 2021, after two years of intensive research. CSIR-CRRI is India’s premier national laboratory established in 1952, under the Ministry of Science & Technology.
The first road using this eco-friendly road construction technique in Uttar Pradesh was built near Lucknow in 2022 and has performed exceptionally well over the last three years. Currently, roads in six districts of the state are being constructed using this innovative method.
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